Stolen
by state of delusion
Summary: When Bella Swan was 9 years old, her mother was murdered and her life was irrevocably altered forever.  Now that Bella is all grown up, she has joined the FBI, and is determined to bring those who stole her life from her to justice.
1. Prologue

**This is my first attempt at fanfiction. Please let me know what you think.**

**I have to give a special thanks to Projectteambeta and their betas, Twimarti and Ina, for their very valuable input into this first chapter. And, to EveryDayBella for pre-reading this for me.**

**As always, I do not own Twilight. I wish I did. All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Prologue**

August 3, 1992 – Remote area of the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation – Arizona

The building was dark and quiet, too quiet. The team silently surrounded the small house, creeping ever closer like a tide encroaching on the sand. Each of the men was alert, focused on the target, ready to move into action. The leader quickly raised his palm near his face in a signal to stop, and his men froze against the hard earth. He stared at the house. They were only 20 yards from it now. He lowered his night vision goggles into place and watched the building. There wasn't a single sign of life. It was pitch black. He had the sinking feeling that something wasn't right, that something had gone wrong. He looked off to his left and gave the hand single that sent three of his men around the left side of the house and two off to the right, just off the front corner. He waited for the return signal to tell him. His heart was beating fast, but he ignored it. His mind quickly fell into an extreme focus. He checked his rifle and backup side arm. He was ready.

Then, the signal came from the team. They were all ready. He again focused on the house, assessing any threat that may be there. There was nothing; no movement, no sound, no light. It was now or never. He held his hand up, clinched his fist, and pulled it back down again—the signal to go. He counted to three in his head and began a quick sprint to the front door. He held his body low to the ground as he rapidly closed the distance to the house. He reached the door in mere seconds and quickly fired two short bursts into the door handle. The sound was muted, the gun's silencers muffling the noise. The door swung free on its hinges and he entered the building, rifle in hand. He knew his team was following the same procedure at the back door. Two of his men followed him in through the front door. He peered through the night vision goggles, silently moving through each room. The men rotated their positions as they moved through the house, covering each other's backs as they searched the rooms for what they were looking for. Each of the men's senses were heightened, ready and searching for any attack that may come. But none came.

As he reached the back room, five bodies lay still on the ground. He heard a movement from behind and whirled around to find one of his team standing a few yards back. The team member gave him an all-clear signal. The house was secure. He motioned with his hands that they could come out of silent mode and pulled off his helmet.

"Damn it, they're all dead," he said, disgusted. Someone else had gotten there first. They had known his team was coming. Thank God they hadn't ambushed his team.

"Contact base and let them know we have the inside secure, but that I doubt what we were looking for is even here anymore. They need to get the 'copters up to see if the surrounding area remains secure. We will need a forensics team in here stat." He sighed and shook his head. He was so close. He pulled out his flashlight and took a closer look at the bodies. They were all face down, fully clothed. He went to check the pulse on the first, and as he felt the neck, he couldn't feel a pulse at all, but he could feel the large gash in the side of the neck. Each body was the same.

"No need for an ambulance. They're all dead," he said as anger swirled around him.

"Damn it!" How had they known he was coming? He really thought he'd had them this time. His team began searching the rest of the house more thoroughly for the documentation they had come to secure, but he knew it wouldn't be here. They were always one step ahead, often miles ahead.

In less than ten minutes he could hear the two helicopters hovering over the house. They would secure the surrounding area to make sure whoever had been here wasn't still close by, but he knew they weren't. The bodies were already quite cooled. He would have to wait for the forensic team to show up. He gathered up his men for a briefing outside. As he stepped out into the hot desert air, his eyes quickly found his boss waiting for him near the back of the house. It was going to be a long night.

August 3, 1992 – Scottsdale, Arizona

I loved this time of the day—twilight—the time after the sun has set but before blackness takes over. It turned the entire desert into a beautiful dreamy blue. I hurried across our back yard towards the large outcropping of rock in the corner of our oversized back yard. I loved this rock. It was my favorite place to think. The rock was large and flat, tilting down away from the house so when you were on it, you wouldn't be seen from the house. It was surrounded by ocotillo and desert willow. One large saguaro grew near the side of the rock. The plants sheltered the rock so that I felt isolated, like no one could find me when I was here. If I were to climb to the top of my rock and peer over, I could see my back yard, swimming pool, and the small ranch house—my home. I knew if I did that now, I would see my mother working in the kitchen through the window, probably humming to herself as she prepared dinner.

I lay on my back and stared up at the sky as had done most summer nights. I counted the stars as they slowly twinkled into existence for the night. It wouldn't be long now, and I would be able to start searching for the constellations, remembering the wonderful stories and legends that accompanied each of them. When my father was home, we often sat in the lawn chairs by the pool and he would tell me each story. I loved the story of Cygnus the swan, and how Apollo changed him into a swan and placed him in the heavens when he risked his life to find the body of his friend, Phaethon. Phaethon, the son of Helios the Sun God, had gotten his father to agree to let him drive his sun chariot, and his reckless driving threatened to destroy the Earth, so Zeus struck him down. I liked the fact that Cygnus was loyal and devoted to his friend, even despite his friend's shortcomings.

Dad wasn't around as much as he used to be. His job kept him very busy in those days. So when he wasn't around, I would steal myself away to my rock, watch the stars, and tell myself the stories of the constellations and imagine him there with me. I lay still as twilight turned to night. The crickets came out of hiding and began making their beautiful music. In the distance a coyote yelped to his pack. The yelping was returned by the remaining pack as they coordinated their movements in the hunt. These were all noises that I was familiar with, noises that comforted me, that told me I was home.

I continued to stare into the sky, searching for my favorite constellations, Sagittarius, Scorpius, Lyra, and Cygnus. A quiet calm enveloped me. Mom would be calling me in for dinner soon, but I was content to lie here awhile longer. It was then that I noticed how quiet it had become. The coyotes had suddenly fallen silent. It was strange the way they had become so silent. The crickets had stopped too. In fact, I couldn't hear any animals at all. My skin began to prickle.

Then, the sound came to me fast and furious and pierced the quiet, shattering it to pieces. It was a sound that would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life. The blood curdling scream coming from the house. Every hair on my body stood on end. I was frozen in place from terror. It took seconds, but felt like hours, for my body to respond to what my head was telling me. Mom was in trouble, and I had to get to her. I finally flipped myself over and climbed up the rock to see over the top. As I reached the top, the second scream came barreling over the air and was suddenly cut to silence. I knew it was going to be terrible, that I was too late. I immediately stared over the top of the rock, ready to bolt over it and across the lawn to Mom, but what I saw stopped me in my tracks.

There were three of them standing on the back porch between the pool and the back door. They were well dressed, all in black. Their skin was pale as the moon. Two of them smiled at each other. It wasn't a smile of friendship or joy, but evil, menacing. Two more came out of the house, moving effortlessly across the porch. They began talking amongst themselves, but their lips moved so quickly they surely couldn't understand each other. After a few minutes they turned to leave across the yard, out to the desert mountains behind our house. But what I saw then chilled me to the core. As one turned to leave, he stared in my direction and his eyes shown bright red as blood. I slid down the rock, heart pounding out of my chest. _Oh God, please don't let him have seen me, please._ My mind was reeling. Could I have really seen them? I was frozen in sheer terror curled up on my rock, and that is where I stayed until the morning broke and my Dad's frantic cries pierced the breaking dawn.

August 4, 1992 - Phoenix, Arizona

It had been a very long night. _Nine months of work down the drain, wasted, and for naught_, his thoughts consumed him. The initial debriefing had finally wound down after hours of reviewing what went wrong. The four men at the table were exhausted.

The agent who led the failed mission looked at his watch to see it was close to four in the morning. He was tired and just wanted to go home. As he stared at his cold cup of coffee in front him, he listened to his boss's phone conversation with the forensics team. His thoughts drifted away, replaying the weeks leading up to this disastrous night, trying desperately to figure out what happened.

"Mark from forensics is on his way over here. He should be here in about five minutes." His boss's tired voice brought him out of his thoughts and into the present moment.

"Uh, okay." He rubbed his hands along the stubble of his chin and up over his tired eyes.

"After we talk to Mark, you can go home. Take the rest of the day off, but we are going to have to break this down more." His boss's eyes were just as tired as his, but they still contained the same disappointment and frustration as the rest of the men at the table. His boss would want answers, and he knew it wouldn't just end there. He would have others up the chain of command who would want answers too.

The door opened suddenly, and a very bright-eyed young man came swiftly into the room. He plopped himself in the chair next to him and dropped his folder on the table. "They didn't die at the house," he blurted out as soon as he sat. Mark Coleman was new to the forensics team, but was very good. He loved his work. Nothing excited him more than solving the puzzle pieces of a good crime.

The agent looked at him, confused. "What?"

"They didn't die at the house. They were obviously moved to that location after death," the young man stated. He had a big grin on his face. Mark loved his work. He was completely energized by it, regardless of how gruesome it was.

"That doesn't make any sense. We had contact with them an hour before. They were at the house."

Mark looked at him quizzically. "Well, then they left and were brought back. "

The agent sighed and rubbed his eyes again. It didn't make sense. "Why? How do you know this?"

Mark smiled and almost bounced in his seat. "The bodies all had large lacerations to the side of the throat. This was the cause of death. They must have bled out tremendously. All five were almost completely drained of blood, which is weird, because it is hard to drain that much blood just by allowing someone to bleed out. Usually, you would have to mechanically remove the blood to get that much out."

"But that doesn't explain how you know they didn't die at the house."

Mark looked at him, eyes focused on him. "Did you notice blood around the bodies when you first examined them?" he asked him.

"No." Now he understood.

"Right," Mark continued. "There wasn't any blood at the scene. With lacerations of this type, there should have been tremendous amounts of 'blood splatter' around the room. For that matter, where was any of the blood? The bodies were nearly drained of all blood, yet there wasn't any pooling blood around the bodies. In fact, there were only a few drops in the room."

He paused for a moment while we took in the information.

"They had to be moved. However, there are no blood trails around the house or leading into the house. They must have been wrapped up and brought in. Really, the lack of blood anywhere in or near the house is amazing. "

He sighed. They were too good, and he was beyond frustrated right now.

The secretary's voice came in over the phone system. "Agent Swan, I am sorry to interrupt, but there is a call for you on line two."

"Uh, okay, thanks, I'll take it." He reached for the phone. "Excuse me for a second, gentlemen." He lifted the receiver to his ear. "This is Agent Swan."

"Hello, Agent Swan, I am so sorry I missed you this evening." All the exhaustion left his body in a microsecond as adrenaline flooded his system. He had never heard the soft velvety voice before, but he knew instantly who it was. The others in the room stared at him after noticing his response. He quickly motioned to his boss to begin recording the call and to put on a trace.

"Yes, well, you should have stuck around," he replied, trying to sound calm and cool but unable to hide the irritation in his voice.

"Ah, it would have been so much fun. I have so wanted to meet you in person, Agent Swan." His voice sounded so jolly, as if they were old friends.

"I would have expected that from you. I was disappointed you didn't stick around. I thought you would have seized the opportunity for an ambush. I don't see you as a man who would have left his work unfinished." He was baiting the voice, hoping for it to slip up.

He heard the laughter on the other end. "Ah, Agent Swan, you are so delightful. I didn't leave my work unfinished at all. My wonderful distraction worked charmingly well. I was able to accomplish so much this evening." The voice paused. "Now, Agent Swan, you really must remember who you are dealing with."

"I know exactly whom I am dealing with," he said with acid in his voice.

"Now, now, Agent Swan, don't get upset. It has been such a wonderful evening for me. I wouldn't want to end it on a bad note." There was pause on the other end, and then the voice came in low and more serious. "By the way, Agent Swan, your wife looks lovely in lavender." Agent Swan's eyes opened wide as his jaw dropped. Seconds seemed to be years, and he couldn't find his voice as his whole body froze like a statue and his mind raced to catch up to the realization of what he had just heard. Before he could respond, the voice continued, "I really must go, Agent Swan. Please take care." The line went dead.

The other agents in the room stared at his reaction. He looked at his boss and choked out the words, "Renee. He's been to the house. Renee! Bella!" At that instant, the entire room burst into activity. Agent Swan ran from the room to get to his car, the members of his team on his heels. In the same instant, his boss was on the phone barking orders to get the police to Agent Swan's house and to make sure the trace worked on the call. Agent Swan didn't hear any of it as he was already in the parking lot running for his car.

August 4, 1992 – Scottsdale Arizona

I stayed on that hard rock, unable to move until the cold night air took me away and I passed into a fitful sleep. I dreamed of red-eyed beasts and dark shapes coming for me. I dreamed of my mother holding me tight, singing to me. I dreamed of my father pointing to the night sky, telling me fantastic stories of magical beings that didn't exist. Finally, I dreamed of a bronze haired boy with emerald green eyes whose smile brought warmth and happiness to me. He reached his hands out to me, beckoning me to come with him, and I smiled back and reached to take his hand. I would follow him to the ends of the earth. But as I reached for him, he became farther away. I tried harder to stretch for his hand, and I couldn't get there. His smile faded, and he looked scared. He began to call my name. "Bella. Bella. Bella." His voice was pleading and scared. I kept reaching for him, but I couldn't get to him. I had to reach him. "Bella," he cried again. Why couldn't I reach him? I stared into his emerald eyes as they turned pitch black, and he screamed, "Beellllla!"

"Beellllllaa!"

"Belllaa!"

My eyes jerked open, my breathing coming fast. I could hear the voices calling for me. They were panicked and desperate. I lifted my head and saw that I was still curled up on my rock. The sun was rising over the horizon, bathing the desert in long blue shadows as the darkness slipped to day. Then, it all came back to me like a wrecking ball. I began to shake, unable to make my body respond.

"Bellllla! Bellllla!" I heard my father's pleading cries, and I cried out to him in a trembling voice, "Daaaddddy!"

"Bella! Over here, she's over here." I heard him scrambling around my rock through the desert willow to get to me.

I turned my face to his as he scooped me into his arms and began rocking me. "Oh God, Bella, you're safe, your okay. Oh God, Bella, Oh God." He kept saying it over and over again as he rocked me. My whole body shook violently as sobs escaped my throat, and I clung desperately to his shirt. Suddenly, we were surrounded by lots of people who were trying to coax me out of my father's arms. He clung to me tightly and refused to let go of me. I could see the tears streaming down his face. He lifted me in his arms and began to carry me around the side of the house and into the front yard. It was then that I noticed the police cars and ambulances around the house, and I knew that all my fears were real.

That day, August 3rd, my life was stolen from me. It would never be the same. It would never be as it should have been. My mother was stolen from me. I would never again hear her laugh during our playful games, or feel her soft kisses on my forehead at night before I fell asleep. My father, as I knew him, was stolen from me. I still had Charlie, but he would never be the same man again. My home was stolen from me. Within weeks of my mother's death, Charlie packed us up, quit his job, and moved us to Forks, WA. My childhood was stolen from me. My innocence was shattered, and gone were the days of simple childhood enjoyments. I grew up that day and grew up even more in the years that followed as I helped to take care of Charlie in our new home of endless rain and responsibilities. My life was stolen from me, and from that day, I vowed to find the man who stole it and get my retribution for it.


	2. Chapter 1

**I have to give a special thanks to Projectteambeta and their betas, Twimarti and Mel, for their very valuable input into this chapter. **

**As always, I do not own Twilight. I wish I did. All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer**

**Chapter 1 **

March 2008 – Quantico Marine Base, Virginia – 16 years later

The cool air of March bit into my lungs as I jogged through the wooded acres of the campus. The sun was just beginning to rise and bathed the land in a warm glow. I really hated running, but it was necessary for my training. I was clumsy, so I had to keep an extra eye on the ground at all times, watching for some evil plotting root or masochistic rock to leap up and grab my shoe. It had certainly happened plenty of times before, and it usually resulted in nothing more than a severe bruising of my ego. Fortunately, today I was only running with Angela. I knew she wouldn't repeat any of my running escapades and misadventures to the other trainees. Still, I kept an ever-watchful eye for any foul object that could bring me down.

Angela and I had become fast friends when we'd met here for training. We were a lot alike and found ourselves spending a good deal of what little free time we had together.

I was thirteen weeks into my training at Quantico. I had decided to follow my dad's footsteps and join the FBI. Actually, I wasn't really following my dad's footsteps, since he quit the FBI when I was nine and moved us 1,500 miles away. My dad gave up on his quest to bring down VI—Volturi Industries. The night my mother died changed everything for him, and I think he gave up on a lot of things.

It changed everything for me, too. However, I would never give up. My mother's death only spurred my determination to bring those responsible to justice. It was the whole reason I was here battling roots, rocks, and any other obstacle in my way to get my badge. I was determined to work harder than any other trainee, in order make my way on the VI team. It was all I cared about; the reason for each breath. I had to bring down the man responsible for killing my mother and changing my life irrevocably.

I noticed we were nearing the end of our run. We had our last physical assessment in the coming week, and we needed to push ourselves to be ready.

"Angela, we should start sprinting soon. We are less than a quarter-mile out," I huffed.

"Ugh, Bella, I really hate sprinting."

"Yeah, but we have to be ready. Three-hundred-meter sprints and mile-and-a-half timed runs—next week," I replied.

"Fine." That was all I got out of her as she began to speed up. I followed suit and began pushing myself forward at a much faster rate. I was really beginning to feel the burn in my legs and the stinging in my lungs as I sucked in the cold air. I could feel her push past me, and that fired up my competitive side. I dug my feet into the ground and accelerated forward. _Oh please let my coordination hold out._ We pushed on, increasing our speed the best we could for the last few minutes of our run. Finally reaching the end of our run, we both slowed to a walk. I was breathing hard. As much as I hated running, I did love the way I felt after it was over. Besides, these physical assessments were my one true weakness in the FBI program, and I wasn't going to fail.

I turned to Angela and watched as she walked large circles around a park bench. "Let's go shower, Angela, before we are late for class." I turned to head back and clean up.

After a hot shower and coffee, I felt energized, as I made my way into the classroom. I needed to be for this class; we were working on techniques in interviewing and report writing. The instructor was a very "by the book" and "obey all the rules" sort of man, and his monotone voice could put an angry bull to sleep. I sat down in my seat next to Mike Newton, one of my fellow trainees. He was a bit older than I was, having worked for a few years out of school before deciding to join the FBI. Newton was cool, though, and an amazing wizard when it came to computers.

"Hey, Bella. How was your run?" he asked as I took my seat.

"Good, Mike. I think I should be ready for next week, barring any major mishaps like my legs suddenly roping around each other like a pretzel." Mike laughed, and I knew he could easily picture it in his mind, probably because he has seen me do it so many times before. "You should have joined us this morning. We missed your company," I added.

"I should have, but it was just too cold and early for me." I knew he didn't need to train as hard as I did for the physical assessments, so I couldn't blame him for wanting to stay in bed. I was beginning to pull my notebook and pen out of my bag when Mike turned in his seat to face me.

"Hey, I think we are getting tomorrow off," he said excitedly. _YES!_ I mentally celebrated. We didn't get a lot of full weekends off, and when we did, our little group would usually head out to a local pub to have a little fun.

"And, I think Jess is going to meet up with us tonight," Mike added, flashing a huge smile.

Jessica Stanley was Mike's girlfriend. She worked as a legislative assistant for a senator from Arizona and lived in D.C. As an LA, she worked horrendous hours, and it wasn't often that she made it down to Virginia to visit with Mike. Mike's training schedule wasn't any better, and it was rare that the two had a day off at the same time. I liked Jess pretty well, and since she was also from Arizona, we had a bit in common. Although it had been years since I'd lived in Arizona, it was still home to me, and I loved talking about my favorite places with her.

"Are we heading out tonight after class, then?" Ben piped up from the back as he slid into his seat.

"Like you would have to ask, Ben. Don't we always head out when we have days off?" I rolled my eyes at him and smiled.

"Don't we always what?" Angela asked as she sat down next to me.

"Go to the pub. We have tomorrow off," I answered. "Hey, are you ready for Hogan's today? I hear we get to play with the paint guns again." I smiled enthusiastically. She quickly returned my smile and nodded. Hogan's Alley was the little training town in the middle of Quantico that we used to simulate real life experiences. It looked like a real town, except all the people were either actors or trainees of some sort, like us. It was like a kid getting to play cops and robbers in a giant town of playhouses, but it was more real. You're evaluated and graded on how well you respond to the real life experiences. I loved training at Hogan's. I was really in my element there. Today, I was told, we would try to take down a couple of bank robbers. I couldn't wait to get out there. In the meantime, I turned to face the instructor as he began his lecture on interviewing witnesses.

_Pop. Pop. Pop._

"Man down! Civilian down!" The words crackled over our headset.

"Shit, did Tyler just do what I think he did?" Ben whispered next to me. My eyes were wide open, staring around the corner at the two actors who were playing bank customers in our simulation. They were lying on the ground covered in orange paint, playing dead.

"Uh, yeah, that's an affirmative," I replied. Crap, Tyler just shot the hostages. Ben and I were holed up in the back of the bank building, waiting for the signal that we should assist in taking out or arresting the bank robbers. The bank robbers had five hostages, well, make that three hostages. Tyler and Eric had entered from the opposite direction, and the suspects spotted them. Tyler must have acted impulsively and fired without thinking.

Now the bank robbers were screaming at Tyler and Eric, threatening to kill the remaining hostages. I could see that Tyler was completely panicked, and Eric was pissed—not at the bank robbers, but at Tyler. I took in the rest of the scene. One of the suspects was isolated behind a desk near the other two hostages. Tyler and Eric wouldn't be able to get a shot on him, but we could.

"Ben, see suspect number two?" I asked. Ben looked over my shoulder, instantly knowing where I was going with this.

"Yep, got him. Can you get number one?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm close. If he just turns slightly to the right, I think I can get him without harming the victim. His tantrum is making him vulnerable." I was watching suspect number one and realized he was separating himself from his hostage during his tirade.

"Swan to Alpha," I spoke into my headset. "Cheney and I have a clear shot; permission to take out suspects."

"Permission granted. Be sure to protect the hostages," came the response over the headset.

"Be ready on suspect two. On my mark, take him out," I whispered to Ben. Ben nodded and aimed his rifle.

I watched suspect number one as he grabbed his hostage by the arm and began to shake her violently as he swung his handgun in the air. I readied my weapon. Then, I saw it—the perfect opportunity.

"Now." I fired my weapon, hitting suspect number one right in the chest. _Pop! Pop!_ I heard Ben's weapon fire almost simultaneously and watched as suspect number two dropped to the ground. Suspect number one was also lying on the ground, while the acting hostage ran away screaming.

"Don't move, don't move!" Four more trainees rushed in with their weapons raised, aiming them at the fallen robbers, ready to secure the suspects and the building. Ben and I had successfully taken out the robbers, but overall, this training session did not go well. Tyler was going to have some explaining to do.

After our fun afternoon at Hogan's Alley, I found myself in a great mood, riding shotgun next to Angela on our way to the pub. Mike, Ben, and Tyler were all in the back talking about Tyler's complete screw-up at during the simulation. Tyler's nerves had definitely gotten the best of him, as he'd managed to take out two of the hostages. Tyler was definitely not going to be the type of agent that gets down and dirty in the middle of the action. He'd need to find himself a good desk job.

We got to the pub early and headed for our favorite table. The waitress came over promptly to take our orders. "What can I get for you guys tonight?"

Mike grinned up at her. "A pitcher of the usual for all of us, and well, Tyler here needs an Orange Kamikaze to celebrate going down in orange paintball flames." Tyler gaped at Mike, and we all chuckled as Ben made choking gestures with his hands.

"Give it a rest, guys. I am never going to live that one down," Tyler said, somewhat defeated. The waitress smiled and left with our order.

The pub was beginning to fill up quickly, and Angela began scanning the room. "Bella, we need to find a man tonight." I looked at her and rolled my eyes.

"Please, Angela, I am in the middle of training to be an FBI agent. I do not need any distractions right now."

Hooking up with random men was never my thing. Honestly, I had never been very good with men once I had developed any sort of romantic feelings for them. I could be a lot of fun, as long as we remained just friends. But as soon as it went one step further, I clammed up and shut down. I had always been terrified of getting hurt, and as a result, I guess I never let anything get started. So, hunting down men in bars has never been something I really would ever do, but that obviously wasn't going to stop Angela from trying.

"Oh, come on, there has to be at least one man here you'd like." She paused as she continued to scan the room. Then, her eyes got big and a huge grin began to split her face. "In fact, I found mine. I want that one." She pointed over to a crowded part of the bar, while Ben looked on dejectedly. Why couldn't Angela see what was right in front of her face.

"Where, Ang? Which one?" I asked with mock enthusiasm.

"Well, darn, he is a bit lost in the crowd now. That one in the green shirt." I peered through the crowd, and all I could see was the back of a tall man in a green shirt with a messy mass of bronze colored hair. I smirked at her and gave her a wink. That should placate her for bit.

Our waitress arrived with our drinks and poured the beer into frosty mugs. She placed Tyler's Orange Kamikaze down in front of him, and I personally wished it were in front of me. It looked a lot tastier than my beer. I have never been much of a beer drinker, but it was cheaper to drink beer with this group since Mike bought a lot of the pitchers. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, right?

"Do you guys need anything else?" the waitress asked.

The bar was beginning to fill up, and I knew it was going to be harder to get her attention. I figured we ought to order another right away. "Another pitcher," I blurted out.

"That's my girl," Mike praised. The waitress nodded her head and took off to her next table of patrons.

"Hey, has anyone here figured out any more about potential assignments?" Angela asked. "I am still working toward a position in counterterrorism." Angela was fluent in at least one Middle-Eastern language as well as several European languages. Her mother was Hungarian and her father was half-Persian. To top it off, she had amazing math skills and was wicked smart. The combination made her very desirable to both the FBI and the CIA. She had her pick of which place she wanted to work for and chose to stay domestic with the FBI.

Tyler looked at Angela and then dejectedly stared at his drink. "I am just worried about passing and getting my badge after today." He heaved a big sigh.

"Oh, Tyler, everyone knows you aren't cut out to be a field agent," Angela interjected. "Hell, neither do I. It is not our field skills that make us valuable, unlike Bella and Ben here." She looked over at me, grinning.

"Please, Angela. Tripping over every pebble in my path does not make me a good field agent," I retorted.

"You know what I mean, Bella. You have incredible instincts, and your shooting is remarkable." A smirk spread across my face. I may be a clumsy fool at times, but I was the daughter of an ex-FBI field agent who later became a small town police chief. He taught me well in the backwoods of Washington; I could shoot a gun, and I could have been competitive at it. Ben was nearly as good a shot as I was.

"I am thinking they are going to assign me to cyber crimes. It makes sense, and I would really enjoy it," Mike interjected. Mike was a computer whiz. If he had a criminal mind, he could do a lot of damage, since he could hack into almost anything.

"I have no idea what assignment I am going to get." Tyler still looked a bit deflated as he continued to gaze at his glowing orange drink.

"Oh, I think you're perfect for kidnapping, drug trafficking, bank robbery. . ." Mike was laughing harder and harder with each assignment he mentioned, while Tyler just glared at him.

I decided to change the subject and spare Tyler any more humiliation. "I still want the VI assignment. I have no idea if I will get it, but it is the whole reason I am doing this. I have talked to Agent Banner about it; he knows my passion for the case, but at the same time, he knows my history with it, too. He has reservations."

On the surface Volturi Industries appeared to be a very respectable and extremely successful international import/export business, but everyone knew that their power extended far beyond the simple business of import and exports. Behind closed doors, they would sell and trade guns, drugs, and anything else that would pay big bucks. They worked with some of the most notorious drug lords and terrorists in the world. Governments of small countries would contract their services to obtain goods they couldn't get any other way. They say that VI is the puppet master behind the strings of many a dictatorship around the world. Their elusive CEO, Aro Volturi, was reported to be untouchable. Every time the FBI or CIA would get close, the lead would disappear and witnesses would vanish into thin air. My dad got close once.

"Bella," Angela began. "He would be a fool not to select you for this assignment. You are top of our class in everything."

"No, not everything," I said with a small smile. "I can't get past the pebbles in my path, remember?"

"I'm surprised you're not already pegged for SWAT, Bella," Mike added. This was something I was afraid of. I was probably the best shot in the class. It would be a natural conclusion to think that I may be placed in SWAT. And, I wouldn't mind SWAT so much, except that it wasn't VI.

"I bet Ben goes SWAT," I contributed.

"I would love it!" Ben interjected and then turned to me. "Oh, hey, Bella, did I tell you I saw Agent Banner at Quantico this week?" Now he had my interest.

"I had no idea that Agent Banner was in town." Agent Banner was the head of the VI team. The VI case was big enough that it supported its own full-time team. I wondered what brought him to Quantico, and if I might get a chance to plead my case again.

"He was meeting with Agent Uley," Ben added.

"I wonder what has brought him here, and why he would be meeting with Agent Uley? He's the serial killer specialist, right?" I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he would be meeting with Agent Uley, but I might have to do a little digging to try and find out. Maybe they were old friends from their training days.

Just then, I saw Jessica heading our way. She smiled, waved, and raised her finger to her mouth in a "shhh." She crept up behind Mike, covered his eyes, and said, "Guess who?" As if that was really any kind of challenge.

"It could only be the most beautiful legislative assistant in all of D.C." Mike smiled, and Jessica leaned over to kiss his cheek. Mike turned his head just in time to plant a kiss on her lips. It wasn't a quick peck, either. There was definitely some smacking going on. I wanted to vomit. I have never been one for gushy types of romances or for the public displays of affection that the two of them often engaged in after several beers.

"Here, please stop and take my seat next to Mike." I got up, offering my seat to Jessica before she plopped herself into his lap. I made my way around the other side of the table, took a seat between Tyler and Ben, and reached over the table for my beer. Then, I eyed Tyler's Kamikaze. "Are you going to drink that, Tyler? Because if not, I'll take it."

Tyler slid the drink in front of me and smiled. "By all means, Bella. You can have it. I think I have seen enough orange today." I took the drink and downed it fast; it was orange and yummy. It was then that I saw him. From my new vantage point on the other side of the table, I could see him at the booth at the back of the bar. He had to be one of the most beautiful specimens of man that I had ever seen. He had that strong jaw line that made girls go weak in the knees.

I continued to stare at him. He was laughing with the other men in his group. He had the most beautiful array of messed-up bronze hair that I had ever seen. Oh no, this was Angela's pick of the night, not that she ever really intended on hooking up. But, oh what he was doing to my body just by looking at him. I stared at his mop of messed-up hair, and I wanted to run my hands through it. I wanted to run my hands over his entire well-sculpted body. _Holy _Cow_, Bella. Get a grip on yourself._

He wasn't military—not with that hair, obviously. He was sitting with some other men who looked to be FBI types. I was sure he was an agent. Most of the guys around here were either military or FBI. I didn't recognize any of the other men he was with, but they all had that FBI look. One of the men at his table must have told a joke because his face lit up in the most beautiful smile as he laughed in response. I was completely dazed.

It was then that he looked in my direction, and I made contact with a pair of stunning emerald green eyes. Seriously, who had eyes that green? I couldn't look away. He was absolutely mesmerizing. It took me a moment to realize that he knew I was staring at him. I felt an intense blush run up my body and consume my face. His brows were furrowed in uncertainty as he tried to figure out why I was watching him. I quickly broke the trance and looked away.

"Bella, are you okay?" Angela looked at me in confusion.

"Huh, uh, yeah," I replied.

"I don't think you've heard a single word I have said in the last two minutes. What are you staring at anyway?" She turned her gaze across the bar to figure out what had held my rapt attention. I did not want her to know that I was entranced by Zeus himself, especially since she spied him earlier. I held my romantic feelings close to my chest, never letting anyone know my real thoughts and feelings. I knew once she looked over there she would figure it out, but when I looked up, he was gone. I felt both relief at not having to expose my lust for a man I never met, and anxiety at the thought that I may never see him again.

**A/N: This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction. I enjoy writing creatively, but I have never really shared any of my writing before, and I am nervous about putting myself out there. So, if you like this story so far, or even if you think there is some room for improvement, I would really appreciate a review. **

**Also, I tend to write when I feel inspired, and that is not always a regular occurrence. I am going to try to get a chapter out about every two weeks, but don't kill me if it's longer. **

**Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it.**


	3. Chapter 2

**I have to give a special thanks to Projectteambeta and their betas, Mel and Ina, for their very valuable input into this chapter, and to EveryDayBella, my pre-reader, for her excellent critique of my work.**

**As always, I do not own Twilight. I wish I did. All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer**

Chapter 2

My eyes slowly opened a crack and registered the bright light cascading through the curtains. I quickly realized that my mouth felt like it was full of cotton, and my head was all fuzzy. Oh, I definitely had a bit too much last night. I am usually better at watching how much I drink. I didn't get slammed drunk, but I definitely had enough to feel it this morning.

I rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. First order of business, make my mouth feel normal again. I reached for my toothbrush and began scrubbing away at my teeth. I wandered into the kitchen, toothbrush still in my mouth, and poured myself a glass of water. I hunted through the cabinets for the Tylenol, finding it hidden behind three bags of Starbucks coffee. I spit the toothpaste into the sink in the kitchenette, popped the two pills in my mouth, and downed the entire glass of water. I would be fine in twenty minutes, once the Tylenol kicked in.

I pulled out one of the Starbucks bags, measured out the coffee, and started the coffee maker. I would need that as soon as my shower was finished. I headed for the bathroom, turning on the water in the shower, when my phone began ringing. I scowled at it but walked over to answer it anyway.

"Bella here," I announced into the phone without even looking to see who was calling me.

"Hey, gorgeous. How ya feeling today?" Ugh, Mike. _How can he be so cheerful this morning?_

"Hey, Mike. I'm okay, definitely been better." I took a good look at myself in the mirror as I talked with him. Yes, I have definitely been better. My face was all puffy and red from the beer last night.

"Yeah, you seemed to be enjoying yourself." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Hey, by the way, I just got a call, and it sounds like they're calling us back to Hogan's Alley today. So we are not getting the day off after all. Have you been called?"

I put Mike on speaker while I pressed the buttons to see if I had missed any calls, and sure enough, there was the voicemail.

"Ugh." I groaned. "Yeah, I see it now."

I could hear Mike chuckle on the other end of the line. I was not in shape for this today. I needed to get my head on straight before then, and nothing would work better than a lot of water and a run. Ah, happy, cheerful Mike may come in handy after all.

"Hey, Mike. How about a good run this morning? You up for it? I could really use some company. Just a few miles on the track. I need to sweat out the rest of this beer."

"Sure, I'll meet you at the track in an hour. How's that sound?" He didn't seem especially excited to run with me, more resigned—but I was glad he decided to come along.

"Perfect. Thanks, Mike. See you then." I hung up the phone and stepped into the steaming hot shower.

An hour later, I was stepping onto the track, dressed in my purple jogging shorts and matching running top. It was a beautiful spring morning, not a cloud in the sky. The weather seemed to be warmer than usual, and I could already feel the sun warming my skin. Mike was stretching in the center grass. He looked up and smiled when he saw me striding over.

"You look better than you sounded earlier today."

"Yeah, well, it's amazing what a little caffeine and Tylenol can do for you." I smirked and began stretching. "Is Jessica staying today?" I asked.

"Naw, she's pretty tied up at work, and since we have to go back in today, there really wasn't a point in her hanging around." I could tell he was disappointed.

"Hey, we have next weekend off. Hopefully, she can come back down and see you then." He nodded and looked hopeful. It must be difficult to do a long-distance relationship, especially when both partners are so busy.

After my body was loosened up, I headed back to the track with Mike and began my jog. Mike fell in stride with me, and we kept an easy pace. I wasn't ready to overdo it in the shape I was in this morning. No need to push my luck.

As we made our way around the track, Mike and I kept easy conversation, talking about the scheduled training at Hogan's Alley for later today. As we rounded the last turn to complete our first lap, my eyes caught sight of a wonderful set of legs attached to a fantastic piece of ass.

My mouth hung open a little more than usual as I stared at the sight in front of me. He was bent over, stretching his legs and back. His long fingers reached out toward his toes. I found myself breathing much harder than was needed for the pace I was running. My mind was fogging over as I stared at his calves. They were firm, well-defined, and downright delicious. My eyes wandered farther up, taking in his muscular thighs. I could just imagine those thighs in between my legs and wrapping my legs around those hips. I shook my head. _What is wrong with me? I never lose this kind of control just looking at a man. Get a grip, Bella_.

As I was getting closer to this magnificent specimen, he pulled his torso back up. His back muscles rippled under his shirt, which was covered with sweat, and I felt the wetness pool between my legs as I imagined how it would feel to have him over me. My eyes continued to wander higher as he pulled his arms up over his bronze head.

_Holy Shit! It's HIM!_

I couldn't believe it. It was the Greek god from last night—Angela's dream guy. Who am I kidding? _My dream guy_. I continued to stare at him in all his perfect glory, slowly opening my mouth to run my tongue over my lips. I was nearly next to him and was staring hard, intent upon seeing his beautiful face. Just as I came up to him, I saw his head begin to turn in my direction and . . .

_Oh, holy mother of all that is wrong with the world . . . _Pretzel legs strike again!

My feet tangled up around each other, and I went down face first right in front of him. I lay on my hands and knees, trying hard to clear my head enough to figure out what had happened. Before my senses fully came to me, I turned my head to see this beautiful man in front of me. He looked startled and concerned as he took several steps toward me. My brain was all fuzzy again, but it had nothing to do with my fall. _Oh God, please, this is not how I had envisioned meeting him_. I was sure I was scarlet from head to toe. And then, he stopped, his brow furrowed, and he looked annoyed. Seriously, he was annoyed. _By what? My clumsiness? What the hell? _

It was then that I noticed Mike was trying hard to get me up. He was hovering over me and running his hands over my arms and hands, looking for abrasions.

"Bella, sweetheart, darling, are you okay? What happened?" He was worried, but I completely tuned him out as I watched this beautiful man become more annoyed by the second until he turned and began to walk off. I couldn't believe it. _No, wait. Come back! _

_What had happened?_ I watched as he disappeared past the gate and into the parking lot. That was when I realized Mike was talking to me. I looked up at him and scowled as I saw the concern on his face turn to humor.

"Jeez, Bella. Seriously, what just happened?" He began to chuckle out loud as soon as he realized that I was not physically hurt. He gave me his hand to help me up off the ground.

"Hardy har har, Mike. Are you quite done? I'm fine. Let's just finish this run." I really needed to clear my head and for him to stop laughing at me. I started back along the track and thought back to a few moments earlier. I think that was the worst ego bruising I had suffered in a very long time. Little did I know, it could and would get worse.

The next few days went well with no other mishaps and also no sign of the gorgeous man from the bar. I fell back into the normal routine. I knew that the last physical assessment test was coming up tomorrow, and I wanted to do well. It had me on pins and needles because I wanted to be a field agent and not tied to some desk job.

I also needed to find a way to talk to Agent Banner while he was still in town. I needed to plead my case to become a member of the VI team. The only reason I wanted to join the FBI was to help bring down the Volturi. I didn't want to catch bank robbers or work on cyber fraud. I just wanted to bring my mother's killers to justice. However, I knew that Banner, among others, had serious reservations about placing me on the team. They knew how much I wanted it, but they also knew why. I was too close, and they feared that I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure.

Deep down, I worried about that too. I worried that it could bring back the horrors of that night and the deep feelings of loss that I have pushed aside for so many years. I had to find a way to work through all of that. I had to be stronger than that.

We had seven weeks left before we finished our training. There wasn't much time before we would get our assignments and begin our new careers in the FBI. I just knew in my heart, I had to be on the VI team.

That was how I found myself walking through the halls of Quantico, trying to find the office that Agent Banner was using while he was here. Mike offered to help me in my search and was currently talking my ear off about how he hoped he would be able to get an assignment that would keep him near D.C. and thus near Jessica. I "hmmm'd" and "uh huh'd" in all the right places, but my mind was definitely elsewhere. Finally, I turned the corner and found the room I was looking for.

"Here, Mike, this is it." I glanced over at Mike nervously. "I'm not sure how to approach him again."

"Just tell him how much it means to you. Just keep reminding him, Bella. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil." I looked at him like he was a bit crazy, but then nodded. He was right. I needed to continue to let Banner know how important this was to me. Mike obviously sensed my hesitation. "Do you want me to wait here for you, Bella?"

"Yes, please. I will only be a moment." And with that, I mustered up the courage and knocked on his door.

"Come in," Banner replied. I slowly opened the door and peeked inside. Banner was sitting at a desk with his laptop in front of him. The office was sparsely decorated and small. It was obvious that it was just a temporary workspace for him while he was visiting Quantico. Banner looked up with a warm smile and a bit of surprise in his eyes as I entered his office.

"Bella Swan! It is good to see you again. How is the training going?"

I returned his smile with one of my own. I had known Banner for years. He was a friend of my father's, and they had worked closely together on the VI case when my father was still with the FBI.

"It is going well, Agent Banner. I'm loving it, actually." I took a few steps across the room to take a seat in the empty chair opposite him.

A small chuckle escaped Banner's lips. "You have a lot of Charlie in you. How is he, anyway?"

"Charlie is great, the same really. Charlie is Charlie," I said with a wistful smile as I thought of my father.

"Glad to hear he is doing well. I miss him. His early retirement from the FBI was a great loss for us. He was one of our best." He looked down at his hands on his desk as if he were deep in thought and then added, "Bad for the FBI, but it was probably a good thing for Forks."

"Yes, they love him there," I replied.

Agent Banner looked up at me and smiled again. "Well, Bella, what brings you to my office? As much as I may wish it was to say hello, I am sure there is more to it than that."

I took in a deep breath and let it out. "Well, I always love to come and say hi. You know that. But, yes, I do have another motive, and I am sure you have guessed why I am here."

"You want on the VI team."

"Yes, sir."

Banner pursed his lips as he thought about his next words. I was nervous to hear what he was going to say and steeled myself for the possible bad news.

"Bella, you have to understand my concern here. " I nodded in response. "You're a good candidate, no doubt. I have been following your training a bit, and everyone says you're top of your class, not just in the classroom work, but on the field tests as well. You're going to make one hell of an agent." He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but return it, even if my heart was racing a mile a minute.

"As much as I could use you on this team, I'm scared that with your history you may be too close to this, Bella." I began to open my mouth to tell him that I _could_ do this, but he held up his hand to stop me. "Hear me out. I worry that you won't be able to be objective and that the emotional burden may be too much for you." He looked up to the ceiling and sadness crossed his face.

"I was there with your father that night. I remember it so clearly, Bella. I was with him when he got that phone call. I was with him when he found your mother. I was there when he found you. It was too much for him, and he had to walk away. It crushed him, Bella. This is a tough case—one of the worst. It's difficult for those of us who are not emotionally invested. I'm not sure how someone with your experience would be able to handle it. Do you really think you're up for something like this?"

I sat back in my chair and recalled that night. God, it hurt to think of it. But from those thoughts, deep down inside my gut, I felt that fire burning, that need to bring them to justice, and I knew I could do this.

"Agent Banner, I have no doubt, whatsoever, that I can do this. I need to do this. Please . . . please, give me a chance to show you that I can. Give me six months; if it doesn't work out, you can transfer me, and I won't fight it. I want this more than I can explain."

Agent Banner brought his hands together in front of his face, making a peak out of his fingers. He tapped his lips a few times as he contemplated what I had said. He never lost eye contact with me, and I continued to plead with him through my eyes. _Please give me a chance_.

"Bella, I will continue to consider you for this position. I am not saying yes, but I'm also not saying no. I need to think on this for a while longer."

I would take that. The smile on my face grew as I replied, "Thank you, Agent Banner. That is all I am asking for. I really appreciate the consideration." I stood up and reached across the table to shake his hand. Banner stood and took my hand into both of his. He looked down at me like a father and gave me a gentle smile.

"Take care, Bella. I am glad you came to see me. Please give my best to Charlie and ask him to give me a call sometime."

"I will, I will. Thank you, again." I turned and exited the office. Overall, I felt good about the way the meeting had gone. He didn't say no, which meant that he really was taking it into consideration. One thing I knew about Agent Banner—he was honest, and you could always take him at his word.

I gently shut the door behind me and looked for Mike. He was just walking out of an office down the hall.

"Hey, how'd it go?" he asked when he caught sight of me.

"Not bad. He isn't saying yes but also isn't saying no. I think he is honestly going to weigh it all and consider me for the assignment."

"That's good!" I looked up at him and nodded in agreement as we headed back down the hall. Mike then began telling me about his run-in with another agent who was having problems hacking into some website, and how he was able to go right in and hack into it in the fifteen minutes that I was with Banner. He was really excited about it, and he was gesturing wildly with his hands as we walked.

We were rounding a corner in the hallway, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of bronze down an adjacent corridor, and instantly my eyes were drawn away from where I was going onto his emerald green eyes.

He was walking in my direction with another group of agents. He was staring right at me, and I saw the flicker of a smile grace his lips. I could feel the heat of his gaze, and it went right between my legs. _My god, what was this man doing to me?_ I was completely tuning Mike out as I walked past the other corridor, my gaze never leaving his until . . .

_GOD BLESS AMERICA! That hurts! Ow, ow, ow, ow!_

I realized pretty fast that, while I was staring into his eyes, hypnotized by their green depths, I was not looking where I was going at all. I walked right smack into a support column at the juncture in the hallways. I hit it head on, smacking my face, and falling straight down on my ass. I looked up to see a throng of people rushing in my direction to make sure I was okay, including the beautiful man who caused this mishap in the first place.

_Oh no, oh God, I am so embarrassed. Why does this keep happening to me?_ Mike was instantly at my side, checking me over again.

"Bella, baby, are you okay?" His hands grasped my face and turned it to his so he could make sure I didn't break my nose or lose any teeth. Before I could answer him, several people were suddenly kneeling down next to me, checking me over as well. I have never been so humiliated in all of my life.

"Is she okay?" _Velvet, pure, wonderful, and music to my ears._ I knew whom it must belong to, but I couldn't quite find my bearings to look at him.

"I . . . I'm fine. I'm okay." I reached out to grip Mike's arm to haul my butt up off the floor, when I felt a multitude of arms help me up.

"Oh, my God, you just, like, walked right into that wall. That was classic." My whole body stiffened as I heard her voice crack with laughter. In an instant, I was seeing red. I turned to face her with a look of death in my eyes. She was tall and blond with a sharp nose; she was very beautiful, and I hated her instantly. I began to open my mouth to ask what the hell her problem was, when his voice broke through my red haze.

"Lauren, please, it isn't funny." _He knew her!_ I finally turned my head to take in the magnificent specimen next to me. I hadn't been this close to him before, and I was literally stunned by his beauty. I took in a deep breath and inhaled his perfect manly scent. My brain went fuzzy, and I couldn't quite remember what I was doing here. I was sure I was leaning in toward him just to get a better whiff.

"Oh, please, she's fine. It _was_ funny."

_Oh, that's right; I was seeing red._ I shook the hands off me and turned to tell her exactly what I thought of her, but before I found my voice, I was cut off.

"Well, now that that's over, we're late for our meeting. We need to get going, come on, guys." She turned abruptly and began walking down the hall.

The bronze-haired god and another gentleman stood looking after her. He turned back around toward me and asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

I was too mad at this point to answer. I just glared past him at her back as she walked down the corridor and nodded in affirmation. "Okay, then. Glad you're not hurt." And he turned and followed after her. I just stood there, feeling like a complete idiot, as I watched him walk farther away and down the corridor.

"Bella?" I heard Mike's voice, but I just couldn't focus on anything at the moment. I was still trying to process the last few minutes and how I had managed to completely humiliate myself like that.

"Bella, seriously, are you okay? Do I need to take you to a doctor?" That snapped me out of my stupor.

"What? No, don't be absurd, Mike. I'm fine, physically. I just feel really, really stupid right now." And that was an understatement. As I thought about the incident, I could feel my eyes glistening with the tears I was fighting to hold back.

"Hey, hey, it's all right. Really, Bella, it's happened to all of us at some point."

_I seriously doubt that._ I looked up at him with utter incredulity and managed to finally pull my head together. I grabbed Mike's arm and turned us both back in the direction we were originally going. "Come on, we have another class in thirty minutes."

By the end of the day, I was exhausted and feeling very unsure of myself. It was not how I was used to feeling anymore. It reminded me of growing up in Forks. That was a very difficult time for me. I was awkward and different from the other kids, and I often did humiliate myself with my clumsiness. I was _that_ _kid_ from Phoenix, the police chief's daughter, the one whose mother was _murdered_. I didn't make any close friends. I was teased a lot, and as a result, I isolated myself for the most part. I read a lot of books and spent a great deal of time with my dad. I relied on him; we relied on each other.

After my mother died, our relationship was never really the same. It evolved into something different, a co-dependency of sorts. Before she died, he was the model dad. He was fun, and we played together all the time. He was affectionate and sweet, as well. I looked up to him and admired him. He was larger than life to me.

After her death, we both changed completely. He couldn't see the joy in life like he used to. We never played anymore. When he hugged me, it wasn't a affectionate hug meant to show the love of a father for his daughter; it was as though he was holding on to me for dear life. I found myself not wanting his hugs anymore, and we became more like companions. I cooked and cleaned, and he worked. At night, we would sit together in the living room while he watched TV and I read my books. We both loved each other immensely, but we were both so scared to ever show it, to ever really feel it again.

I still loved my father more than anything in the world, and in many ways he was my best friend. We talked all the time, but my mother's death left us both hardened. When I finally left Forks for college, I was able to begin breaking down the emotional wall I had built around myself. At college, I found that being smart was an asset, not a detractor. I was able to make friends who were more like me, and I was accepted. I began to have a lot more confidence in myself, and as a result, I was becoming more successful in building relationships. I slowly worked my way out of my shell and allowed myself to have fun and live again. Yet, I still find it so easy to throw the walls up anytime things get tough. It is much harder to keep that wall down than to let it stay up.

I broke away from my depreciating thoughts when I heard a rap on my door. I quickly glanced at the clock, 7:15. I made my way over to the door, wondering who would be coming by my room. I opened the door to Angela's bright smile.

"Hey, girl. Mike said you might need a friend tonight. So, here I am." I couldn't help the grin that was splitting my face. Yes, I did, indeed, need a friend tonight.

"Oh, Angela, I have just had the most awful day." I opened the door wide, so she could join me inside.

"Bella, hon, I'm sorry." Angela pulled me away from the door, swinging it shut behind her, and wrapped me in a big hug. "Tell me all about it."

"First, let me get you something to drink. Do you want some tea, soda, coffee?"

"How about something a little stronger?" She reached down into her bag and pulled out a bottle of wine. I was slightly stunned that she could hide such a big bottle in her bag, but purses had always been an enigma to me. I never carried them until recently, and even then, I barely put anything in them.

I let out a little laugh. "Okay, wine it is. You do know we have physical assessments tomorrow, so as much as I would love to finish that bottle right now, let's keep it to one glass." I walked over to the cabinet and grabbed two glass tumblers since the room wasn't stocked with wine glasses.

"These okay?" I asked, holding up the glasses. She nodded and proceeded to open the wine with a corkscrew she also pulled out of her bag. I secretly wondered what else she could keep in that thing.

I handed her the glasses and sat next to her on the couch. She poured out the wine and set the bottle and glasses on the table. Then, she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and squeezed me to her. It was exactly what I needed, that reassurance. I hadn't known Angela for that long, just since the beginning of FBI training, but it felt like I had known her all my life. Sometimes you just meet those people who you connect with, who are supposed to be special in your life. She was one of them, one of the very few.

"Okay, so spill," Angela said as she reached out for her wine.

"Well, I met with Agent Banner today. While it didn't go badly, I am still very nervous about getting placed on the team," I said as I stared at my glass of wine. When she didn't say anything, I glanced up at her through my lashes. She was watching me, waiting for me to tell her what else went wrong with my day.

"Bella, why do I feel this isn't just about the Volturi case?"

I sighed and looked up at her, giving her a slight smile. Angela giggled; she knew she had me.

"Come on, Bella, tell me. I won't bite, and it will help to talk about it. Trust me."

"Okay, but you can't laugh."

"Promise, cross my heart," she replied and proceeded to make an "x" over her heart with her fingers.

"Okay, so you remember that guy in the bar last weekend, the one you wanted to take home?" Angela's eyes got big, a grin spread across her face, and she nodded. So I proceeded to tell her all about my week-long, miserable encounters with him. When I was done, Angela was doing everything she could not to laugh and not doing it well.

"Oh, my God, Bella, I can't . . . believe . . . you ran . . . into the wall," she sputtered between giggles. "I wish I had been there to see it."

I took a steely glance at her and replied, "Obviously." Then I felt it too, that deep clinching belly laugh gurgling up through my insides, and I began laughing uncontrollably. Angela let loose at that same moment and joined in as the two of us laughed ourselves silly from the couch to the floor.

"Oh God, Angela, I made such a fool of myself. I can just imagine what that guy must think of me now." We both laughed harder. It was cathartic and felt amazing. I felt better than I had all week.

Our laughing finally sputtered out and both of us were taking deep breaths. "Oh, that felt good," I said. "I really needed that."

"I'm glad," Angela said with a smile.

"Why am I so horrible around men? I mean, really, I just can't do anything right around them."

"What are you talking about, Bella? You're great with guys. You're fun and down to earth. I see how you are with Mike, Ben, and Tyler. They love you."

"No, I am great with guys as friends. As long as I am not interested in them, I do fine. Once I start liking them, I completely clam up and do something stupid. I can't talk to them. I can't look at them. It's seriously retarded."

"Hmmm, Bella you're just nervous. We all get like that."

"No, it's more than that. I put up all these walls, these defenses. It's like I am terrified of what they will think of me." I paused as I searched deep within myself. _Why do I do this? It hurts to be so isolated all the time. But it hurts more when you lose someone you care about. That is really what it boils down to. I am terrified of losing someone again. I don't want to be vulnerable, so I just stop it before it can ever start_.

"Bella, you have to take risks to find love. We all get hurt, and it sucks. But it's better than living closed up our whole lives." I knew this. Intellectually, I knew this. I wanted to love someone and be loved. I didn't want to always be alone.

"I know, and you're right. However, this is a subject we should pick up again another time. We have a big day tomorrow, and we both need to get some rest." I smiled and pulled myself up off the couch. Angela joined me and we walked to the door. "I really feel better about the whole thing. Thanks for talking with me and laughing at, or well, with me." I chuckled and she joined in. "I shouldn't even get worked up over a guy I don't even know, and who I will probably never see again in my life." _Except that I keep saying that and I keep running into him._

"After physical assessments tomorrow, we are going out to celebrate completing that milestone in our training. I think we all need to let off a little steam."

"Absolutely, I am already looking forward to it." I leaned over, gave Angela a huge hug, then watched her make her way down the hall toward her room. I closed the door and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I left the wine glasses for the morning; I just wanted to try and get a good night's sleep. As I crawled into bed, I realized that I was going to have to take some risks and let my guard down when it comes to my personal life. It was time. I could not keep living my life with walls to keep people from getting in. It's lonely, and I don't want to be this way anymore.

**Author's Note: I do not have any insider knowledge on FBI training. All the descriptions and information here are a combination of my research and imagination. I hope I got it mostly right, but if not, let me know.**

**Also, I would really love to know what you think about this story. It is my first attempt at writing fanfiction, and any feedback would be greatly appreciated. So, please leave a review.**


	4. Chapter 3

**I have to give a special thanks to Projectteambeta and their betas, Duskwatcher and ****Multicolouredeyes****, for their very valuable input into this chapter. **

**I would also like to thank my pre-reader, EveryDayBella, for her endless assistance with this story. **

**As always, I do not own Twilight. I wish I did. All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer**

**Chapter 3**

Today was a much better day. I knew it from the moment I woke up. I just felt it. It was like there had been a giant shift in the cosmos in my favor, and all the problems from earlier in the week didn't matter anymore. All my nerves over the physical assessment test seemed to vanish. I knew that I would perform well today. And here I stood, having only one assessment left—the 300-meter sprint. I had already completed the mile-and-a-half run, running it in just over eleven minutes—my personal best—without tripping or falling, earning an eight out of ten possible points. I'd felt high as a kite after that. I'd performed well on the push-ups and sit-up assessments, earning myself another seven points. I had already exceeded the required minimum points to pass, but I still wanted to perform well on the sprint.

I stood along the side of the track with a small group of trainees, waiting my turn to run the sprint. Mike, Ben and Angela had already completed their assessment, easily reaching the required twelve points to pass. Tyler was currently on the track getting ready to start. I was in one of the last groups to go. I bent over to touch my toes, stretching my back and legs, when I saw two tennis shoe clad feet plant themselves right in front of me. As I lifted myself back into an upright position, I found myself face to face with a grinning Eric Yorkie.

I'm sure I grimaced in return. I couldn't help it. I didn't like him at all. Eric Yorkie was a little prick who thought he was entitled. His father was pretty high up in the Bureau and had a lot of pull, and Eric used it to his advantage as often as possible.

"Hey, Bella."

"Hi, Yorkie," I answered, wondering what he wanted with me.

"So, um, you're doing pretty well today."I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Yes, I am." I peered over his shoulder to see how soon before it would be my turn to do the sprint so I could ditch him. _Damn, there are still two more groups ahead of me._

"I hear you want to be on the Volturi case?" I began to grow suspicious. Yorkie always had a motive for everything he did, and I was sure this was no different.

"That's pretty common knowledge."

"Yeah, well, my dad thought that might be a good case for me too." _What? Crap, crap, crap, CRAP! _ I knew that Banner would only be taking one recruit onto the team, if any at all. If Yorkie had it, I was out. _Shit. _I tried to keep the emotions off my face, but inside I wanted to scream and pull my hair out.

"I didn't even know you were interested in it."

"Well, that's the thing. I'm not, really. But you know it would look good on my career resume. However," he paused, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. This wasn't going to be good. "I could tell my dad that you'd be a better fit, since, well, you want it more than I do." I narrowed my eyes in his direction_._ Yep, I didn't like where this was going at all.

"I don't really understand. I mean, it'd be great if you put in a good word for me, but why?"

"Oh, you know," he said as he reached out and rubbed my arm. I turned my gaze to follow the movement of his hand, feeling completely creeped out by the touch of his fingers on my arm. "I like to do nice things." He wanted something from me. I could feel it. I turned my gaze away from his slimy hand and glared at him. "Say, since we have the weekend off, I thought maybe you and I could go and have some dinner. You know, to celebrate the assessments and all." He took a step closer to me, and my whole body stiffened.

_Oh my God, he is blackmailing me to get me to go out with him! No, no, no, no! That is not going to happen!_

"Oh, well, thanks for the offer, but I already have plans tonight. I'm heading out with Angela, Mike and rest of the gang. We've been planning it for a while. "

"Oh, where are you going? Maybe I could meet up with you?" He gave me a very smug smile. I could tell he thought he had this in the bag. I could feel his whole hand rubbing along my arm now, and I had just about had enough. I was sure he thought, with sufficient persuasion, I would give in and say yes. I was desperately trying to find a way out of this situation, when I heard my name being called.

"Swan, Johnson, and Nemeth, you're up!" _Salvation!_

"Gotta go. I'll talk to you later after assessments." _Not_. I quickly jogged over to the track to get into position for my sprint.

"On your mark, get set, go!" I took off, running as hard as I could, pushing my muscles as much as they would go.

"Swan, 54.6 seconds." _Yes!_ That added another five points to my total. Overall, I did great on my assessments, and I was glad to have them behind me. It was time to celebrate, sans Yorkie.

Later that night, I was in Angela's car, riding over to the bar. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, and I could really relax for a change. I had been so worked up over completing the physical assessment, it was nice to have it behind me. Once we arrived at the pub, we made our way over to our usual table. Mike, Tyler, and Ben were already there. However, instead of pitchers of beer, there were shots. Yep, it was going to be a good night.

"Finally." Mike said with mock exasperation in his voice. "We've been waiting for you guys forever. We've already had our shots, but we have these little beauties waiting just for you." He grinned at us both and waved his hand across the shots as if presenting them to us. Angela squealed and plopped down in the nearest chair, grabbing a shot from the group on the table. I sat down between her and Mike and reached out for one of my own.

"What kind of shots are these?" I asked as I held one up to my nose. _Tequila, oh boy_.

"Tequila," Mike confirmed at the same moment my nose identified the clear fluid. He slid over the saltshaker and a bowl of lemon slices. "You guys have those; we have another round on the way, along with a couple of pitchers of beer."

"Mike, are you trying to get me drunk tonight?" I teased.

"Absolutely," he replied, reaching his arm around the back of my chair and hugging my shoulders. He handed me the saltshaker, and I proceeded to lick my hand and douse it with salt.

"Here's to kicking ass on our assessments." Angela raised her drink up in the air to clink it with mine. I grinned, tapped my shot glass to hers and poured it down my throat. I quickly grabbed a lemon wedge to cut the burn in my mouth. I grinned wickedly once I had finished the shot, ready for another. And, as if reading my mind, the waitress walked up with a tray full of tequila shots.

"Uh, Mike, this is more like two rounds of shots. You are definitely trying to get me drunk."

"Yeah, well, we're celebrating, and lord knows you seem to have needed it this week." I couldn't argue with him there. "Besides, this is likely our last time out before the program ends in six weeks."

We all downed the next two shots and then began on the pitchers of beer that the waitress brought over. After about the second beer, I was feeling mighty toasty and definitely had to use the ladies room. "I'll be right back. Nature calls." I stood from the table and instantly felt light-headed from the alcohol. I would have to watch my footing on the way to the bathroom.

I worked my way through the already crowded bar to the restrooms. When I got there, my spirits fell. _How on earth does the line to the ladies room get this long this early in the night?_ There had to be at least eight girls in line outside the restroom and a few more inside as well. I took my place in line to wait, while enviously staring at the door to the unused men's room. It took thirty minutes for me to wait and finally relieve myself.

After I had checked myself in the small mirror in the bathroom and determined that everything was still in place, I headed back out to the bar to join my group. About half way there, I caught sight of our table. Jessica had finally shown up, and was currently perched in Mike's lap with his lips attached to her neck. _Great, now I have to deal with their drunken PDA_. As my eyes wandered over to the other side of the table, they nearly bugged out of my head. There was Angela kissing Ben. _What did I miss while I was in the bathroom?_ Everyone except Angela knew Ben had a huge crush on her. I guessed she'd finally figured it out. I didn't see Tyler anywhere at the table, so I scanned across the bar to see if I could spot him. I didn't want to be the only single person at a table filled with kissing couples.

It took just a second to spot him at the next table, talking to none other than Eric Yorkie. _Great, this is just what I needed_. I either hung out with Tyler and Eric, or became a fifth wheel with the others. Just as I was deciding which would be the lesser of two evils, Yorkie turned his head and saw me watching them. He must have gotten the wrong idea, because a salacious grin spread across his face and he tried to give me a "come hither" look. _Eww, no_!

I had to get out of his line of sight fast and figure out how to salvage this evening. I turned around to head back to the bar to order a drink, when I smacked right into a rather tall and firm body.

"Fuck! Watch out!" I heard him exclaim. He was holding a pitcher of beer and a couple of glasses, and I watched in slow motion as he tried to maneuver the pitcher to prevent it from spilling all over both of us.

"Oh, shit! I'm sorry," I blurted out as I grabbed onto his shirt to keep myself from falling right on my ass. As my eyes scanned up, I was stunned to find the gorgeous face of the very man who had occupied my thoughts for the last week. _What are the odds?_ I watched as his eyes widened with surprise and then recognition.

"It's not a problem, definitely not a problem," he said. I just stared at him, completely unable to make a coherent word come out of my mouth. "I've seen you before," he added, as he looked at me knowingly. Then his face split into a humorous grin. _Crap, yes he has._ Of course he would remember me. Who could forget the bumbling idiot who runs into things and falls down a lot? I was mortified.

"Uh." was about all I could get out of my mouth. I was sure I was looking much like a ripe tomato about now. He chuckled at my response.

"No worries. We all have our moments." He smiled at me then broke our gaze as he looked over to the table where my friends were sitting, motioning with his hand in that direction. "Looks like your boyfriend found someone else?" It came out more like a question than a statement.

_Huh?_ I turned back around to see what he was talking about. The scene looked the same, except Yorkie was looking disappointed. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"The blonde, on his lap," he said, gesturing towards the table.

_Does he mean Mike?_

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend," I replied.

"Yeah, I get that now." He chuckled again as he looked down at me out of the corner of his eye. "And, how about the other hopeful looking one over there?" This time he gestured slightly to the right toward Tyler and Eric.

"Definitely not."

A mischievous grin returned to his face as he studied me. He nodded his head slightly as if agreeing with some internal thought in his mind, and his grin widened lighting up his whole face. I was momentarily stunned.

"Well, that's perfect. You'll need a beer. Here, hold this," he commanded, placing the pitcher and glasses in my hands. I obediently did as he asked, while he reached back over the bar to grab another glass. I was completely confused by his behavior, but still perfectly willing to go along with it. As soon as he had grabbed the additional glass, he took the pitcher and glasses out of my hands and grinned at me. "Now, follow me," he commanded again.

_Okay._ I think would follow him to the moon if he asked.

I gently grabbed onto the back of his shirt as I followed him through the crowded bar. I could feel the firm muscles of his back through his shirt, and I wondered if his skin was soft there. I honestly felt like I was in some strange alternate universe. Yesterday, I had made a complete fool of myself in front of this man and thought I would never see him again. Yet, here I was following him to his table. I knew I was being a bit foolish. I really should be more wary, but this felt so right, like this was where I was always supposed to be—with him. I wasn't about to turn back now. He made his way around the corner to a quieter spot with several small tables.

"Edward, about fucking time you got back with the beer." _Edward, is that his name? It's odd, but fits._ I peered around Edward to see a young man sitting at one of the smaller tables. He looked to be about the same age as Edward, with sandy brown hair and startling blue eyes. He stood up to take the pitcher from Edward and noticed me standing behind him. "Oh, and who's this?" he asked Edward casting a knowing look his way.

Edward turned and looked over to me. "Riley, this is . . ." He bent down next to my ear and whispered, "What's your name?"

"Bella," I whispered back.

"Bella!" he exclaimed, as if he knew all along. I couldn't help but chuckle lightly under my breath. Edward then pulled another chair over to our table and indicated for me to have a seat, which I did happily.

"Hey, nice to meet you." Riley reached over and grabbed the pitcher and began pouring beer into the glasses, handing me the first one. "So, how do you know Edward here?"

"Uh, I don't, really." I looked over at Edward, who was grinning at me. "We just seem to keep running into each other." As I finished my statement, both Edward and I began to chuckle at the same time.

"Bella, here, is training at the FBI." Edward stated, then leaned over to me and whispered in my ear again. "You are training at the FBI, right?" I nodded in response.

"Ha, a newbie. I remember those days," said Riley.

"You're both agents?" I asked. Well, I'd already guessed Edward was an agent.

"No, not me," Riley responded. "I started out in the Academy, but quit about half-way through. I realized being an agent wasn't really my thing."

"Riley, here," Edward added, "now works as an independent contractor for the FBI, the CIA, Homeland Security, and the military. Guess he didn't want to get bogged down with just the FBI."

"Is that how you two know each other? From training together?" I asked, as I took a sip of my beer.

"Nah," Riley replied. "We go way back. We were roommates at Dartmouth, and have been raising hell ever since." He and Edward smiled, clinking their glasses together and taking a gulp of their beer. "Somehow this fuckhead convinced me to follow him into FBI. It didn't take long to realize that I was not cut out for that shit. The tech stuff was cool, but the guns and law enforcement side of it—not my thing."

"But that's the best part," I blurted out.

"Ah, a girl after my own heart," Edward replied, as he raised his beer glass in the air. "Here's to shooting guns and taking out the bad guys." We all raised our drinks and downed our beers, and that is how the majority of the night went. I listened to Riley and Edward banter back and forth about their days in college and at the FBI. They were obviously long time friends. It felt strange to be sitting here with Edward. I hardly knew him, and yet, he was so friendly and open. I was completely at ease with him, which wasn't often the case with someone I had just met. It made me even more attracted to him, as if that were possible.

As the evening wore on, I had no idea how much time was passing. We drank, they talked, and I sat and listened with the most ridiculous grin on my face. I honestly hadn't had more fun in a very long time. They were absolutely crazy. I couldn't remember how many pitchers we had finished off by this point, but it was a few for sure, and we were all giddy.

"Ha, Edward, tell her about the time you were running naked . . . down the . . ." Riley was laughing so hard he couldn't finish his sentence. We had been laughing at the stories of all the outlandish things they did in college and training. It seemed as though Edward usually got the brunt of most of the pranks they played on each other, and I could see this one would be no different.

"Fuck, no, don't tell her about that."

"Oh, Bella, you have to hear this one." Riley composed himself and smirked, as Edward ducked his head into his hands and groaned. "Like idiots, we had been drinking in the middle of the day to celebrate the end of midterms and Edward had completely passed out. Somehow the rest of us got this brilliant idea that it would be damn funny to chain Edward to a flagpole in his underwear. So, we get him to the flagpole and strip him down to his boxers. Well, about this time the fucker wakes up, and the guys are trying to chain him through his boxers to the flagpole."

"There are a bunch of sorority girls all hanging out laughing their asses off. So we get the chain through his boxers and now Edward is fighting like a mad man. We finally get the chain around the flagpole and lock it, when Edward manages to rip his boxes clean off from struggling so hard to get away. Now, he's just standing there, bare ass naked, in front of all these girls. So what does he do? The fucker starts running down the street, totally naked, at rush hour."

"My God, you didn't." My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as I envisioned Edward running down the street completely naked. I had to admit, a big part of me wished I had been there too. I am sure it was a glorious sight to see.

"If he'd just accepted his fate, the worst part of it would've been him standing there in his boxers chained to a flagpole. Now the whole world saw him flapping in the wind. I don't know how the cops didn't catch him." Riley's laughter returned and Edward looked thoroughly embarrassed, but still laughed along with him. He reached over and shoved Riley in the shoulder, nearly knocking him out of his chair.

"Yeah, thanks fucker," he muttered, shaking his head. Just as Riley straightened up in his seat, his phone began to ring.

"That'll be Courtney," he said as he answered his phone. Edward turned and mouthed "his wife" to me. As Riley spoke with his wife, I noticed that the bar was beginning to thin out a little. I had no idea how much time had passed, and I am sure my friends were wondering where I was. I began to pull my phone out of my purse to text them and let them know I was still around, but Riley finished his call and began talking to us before I found it.

"Well, it's time for me to get going. Courtney's gonna swing by and pick me up. Edward, do you need a ride? Bella?"

"No, man. I think I am going to stick around for a bit longer, that is . . ." he paused and shifted his gaze to me, "if Bella will keep me company?" Edward stared at me with very hopeful look on his face. _How could I say no to that?_ So, I just nodded yes. He looked back up to Riley. "My hotel is just a few blocks away. I can walk."

I watched as Riley got up and gathered his jacket. He grabbed his glass off the table and downed what was left of his beer. Edward stood and gave Riley a parting hug. I realized then that Edward was talking about his hotel, and it finally hit me that he wasn't assigned to a job here. I honestly think I knew this in the back of my mind the whole time, and their conversation certainly hinted at it more than once.

"Take care, man," Riley said to Edward before turning to me. "Bella, it was a pleasure. I hope to see you again, and good luck in the FBI."

"Thanks. I had a lot of fun hanging out with you tonight, too."

"Alright, be good kids," Riley replied as he began to make his way around the neighboring tables to exit the bar. I watched as he began to get lost in the crowds and then turned to look at Edward. He was watching me with a smirk on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"I really want to kiss you right now." _Oh._ Suddenly there were a multitude of butterflies fluttering inside my stomach. He was going to kiss me. I was excited, I was nervous, but most of all, I really wanted to kiss him too. I stared into his emerald green eyes, shifting my gaze down along his straight, sculpted nose to his full lips. God, he was beautiful

"Okay," I replied, my voice barely a whisper, betraying my nervousness. His smile spread across his face, and I was absolutely dazzled. He reached out with his hand and brushed my hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. Then he slid his hand down to cup my jaw, bringing his lips to mine. I melted. His lips were so soft and plump. They felt perfect against mine.

As I began moving my lips with his, I could feel the intensity grow. I reached my hands up to his shoulders, bracing myself as I deepened the kiss. His hands slid from my jaw to rest behind my neck, pulling me closer to him, and I think I moaned into his mouth.

We eventually parted, and he rested his forehead on mine. We were both breathing hard, and his hand moved back to cup the side of my face. "God, you're an amazing kisser." I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

"You're not so bad yourself." He returned my smile and pulled back a little to look at me. It was as if he was examining a painting, and liked what he saw.

"Fuck, you really are beautiful." He looked down and smiled to himself. When he looked back up he an amused look on his face. "I remember seeing you here a week ago. You were staring at me, and I couldn't take my eyes off of you."

"You remember that?" I was surprised. I had only watched him for a moment and then he was gone. I thought for sure he wouldn't have remembered that.

He chuckled. "Of course. I was here with Riley. I'd just gotten into town, and we were catching up. I was trying to think of a way to come talk to you, when Riley told me he had to go home. His wife is pregnant and wasn't feeling well. In fact, I made him come back here with me tonight in the hopes that I would see you again."

"Really?"

"Yes." He laughed lightly at me again. I felt like a silly schoolgirl who just found out the popular boy liked her.

"I couldn't get you out of my fucking head, and then you fell out of nowhere, right at my feet." I laughed this time. _Oh yes, I will never forget that._

"I was completely stunned, ready to come to your rescue, until I saw that guy with you. He was calling you all kinds of endearing names and had his all over you. I thought for sure the fucker was your boyfriend from the way he was acting around you. I was so disappointed."

"Oh, Mike is just a touchy feely kind of guy, harmless though, and quite sweet." Edward gave me a bit of disgusted look and I laughed. "No really, he's alright." I thought back to how Mike was acting around me that day at the track, and then I remembered Edward's reaction. "Oh, maybe that would explain the annoyed look on your face. I couldn't figure it out."

"I didn't realize it showed. Sorry, I was really annoyed with myself for feeling hopeful, for wanting a girl I didn't even know."

"But, it all turned out well in the end." I reached my hand out to grab his, intertwining my fingers and giving it a squeeze.

"Yes, it did," he replied. The intensity in his gaze changed as he leaned down to kiss me again. This one didn't hold the hesitation of the first kiss.

When we finally broke apart, I looked around the bar and realized it had thinned out considerably now. "What time is it?"

Edward checked his watch. "Uh, almost one." He seemed just as surprised as I was. How long had we been here kissing? "Shit, I have to catch a flight in the morning."

I was only half paying attention to him, as I reached down into my bag to find my phone. I needed to let my friends know where I was. I was usually home and in bed by midnight at the latest. I just didn't stay out that late. There was too much to do while in training, and besides, the instructors wouldn't want to hear about a bunch of trainees partying until all hours of the night. I was sure my friends were long gone by now. I quickly pulled my phone out of my purse and saw that I had three text messages from Angela.

_Where r u? I'm getting worried._

_Oh, Mike found you. Having fun?_

_We're leaving, but u seem pretty occupied. Call if you need me 2 pick u up._

I wondered what she'd seen. I could guess. Angela is going to be drilling me for information tomorrow. She'd be relentless.

"Everything okay?" His voice snapped me back into the present.

"Yes, just my friend, Angela, letting me know she was heading home." I glanced at the time stamp on the text message. "Yeah, that was about an hour-and-a-half ago." I chuckled.

"Do you have a ride home?"

"No, but I can call a cab. No reason to wake Angela up to come get me."

"I would drive you, but I'm not in any shape to drive."

"Me neither."

"Walk with me back to my hotel. It's only a few blocks, and we can call you a cab from there."

I nodded in agreement and we both stood from our seats. I could feel the room spin slightly and reached out for the chair to get my balance.

"Whoa there, you okay?" he asked. I nodded and smiled, lifting my hands up in the air to show him that I was standing on my own.

He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and then took my hand, giving a tight squeeze. He led me back through the bar toward the entrance. Once we exited the bar and hit the night air, I realized how much cooler it had gotten, and I let go of his hand to wrap my arms around my torso.

"You're cold?" he asked.

"Yes, it's a bit cooler than when I arrived. I wasn't planning on leaving so late." He took his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. It smelled divine, and I immediately pulled it tightly around me so I was enveloped in both its warmth and fragrance.

"Come on, this way." He reached over pulling my arm free so he could hold my hand. We were both still feeling the effects of the alcohol, and it had us both in very merry moods. He began to swing our hands as we walked along the sidewalk.

"Bella, Bella, beautiful Bella." He twirled me around and I laughed. I felt on top of the world and I just didn't want this night to end, ever.

It didn't take long before we found ourselves at his hotel. We walked in through the sliding doors, and it was much warmer inside. I slipped out of his jacket and began to hand it back to him, but he reached for me instead, wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace. He buried his head in my neck and traced a delicate line from my ear, across my jaw and back again with his nose, placing gentle kisses along the way.

"Stay with me tonight," he whispered softly in my ear. "Don't go, please."

_I shouldn't. I'm not that kind of girl. This is not something I ever do. I can't do this. But, oh, I want to._ I could feel my steely resolve rapidly slipping away. I just couldn't say no. I wanted him so badly.

"Yes," I murmured. I could feel his grin against my neck as his arms tightened around me, and I couldn't find it in me to regret this. He kissed my neck, and then found my lips. His kiss was passionate and needy, and I found myself clinging to him. He pulled away too soon, only to take my hand again and lead me to the elevators.

_I'm crazy, I'm insane, but I don't care. I may not ever see him again after tonight, but I can have this night. I want this night._

We didn't talk the whole way to the room. He held me and kissed me on the lips, on my nose, along my jaw, and down my neck. I responded with my own gentle kisses to his temple, to his cheek, down his neck to his shoulders. It was all so new, and yet, it felt so familiar at the same time. My heart was pounding in anticipation and in nervousness. I knew I should go back down to the lobby and call a cab. But, I also knew I wouldn't.

Once we entered the room, it was a different matter entirely. We were grabbing, pulling, trying to take our clothes off. The need to feel each other without any barriers was overwhelming. My fingers danced down the front of his shirt, pushing each little button through its hole as his hands found the hem on mine, yanking it up and over my head. Once our shirts were off, his hands were around me, hugging me close. I ran my fingers over his chest feeling the muscles and light hair. I then moved my mouth across his chest kissing and sucking, finding one of his nipples. I heard him groan against my neck. Before I knew it he had my bra unsnapped and he was sliding the straps down my arms, exposing me to him. He pulled back to take in the view.

"So fucking beautiful, so fucking perfect," he murmured. He immediately brought his hand up to my breast, then bringing his mouth down to the nipple, sucking and pulling until my own groans filled the room. He slowly pushed me backwards until my knees hit the bed and I collapsed onto it. I looked up at him. He was staring at me with fathomless want and desire. I had never been so turned on in my life. I scooted my way up on the bed and crooked my finger, asking him to come to me. He didn't hesitate.

He was over me, kissing my lips, tasting my mouth, my tongue, while his hands moved over my body. I couldn't get enough of him. I didn't have enough of him. I reached down and placed my hand over the bulge in his jeans, rubbing up and down. He moaned at my touch.

His mouth and hands traveled across my chest from one breast to the other and back again. It was too much and not enough at the same time. I felt his hand slide down between us as his fingers worked to pop the button of my jeans. My hips bucked in feral response.

I felt the pull of the zipper as he slid it down to open my jeans. His hand slipped inside to feel me, pushing on my bundle of nerves, sending me into a frenzy of desire. I cried out at his touch, and it spurred him on, as his hand pushed further down and his fingers slipped into my folds.

"Oh, please, more." I whispered between kisses. His hand rapidly retreated out of my jeans and began tugging them over my hips. I eagerly complied, ready to be free of their constraints. He sat up on his knees above me, staring at me. He was beautiful. I stared back, yearning and craving more. I needed to see all of him too. I sat up, reaching for the button of his jeans, my eyes never leaving his. I slowly unzipped his jeans and hooked my fingers over the waist of his pants. His breathing accelerated as he watched me slowly pull his pants down past his erection.

Once he'd sprung free of the confines of his pants, I brought my gaze down to take in his prominent form. It was magnificent. I reached out my hand and ran my fingers along the underside of the shaft, then slowly traced along the circle of his head. He threw his head back and moaned. I grinned. I loved that I could make him feel like this, that I could have him respond to me in that way. I leaned down to kiss the top and felt his hands tangle in my hair. I pushed my mouth over the head and his grip tightened, tugging almost painfully. I glanced up through my eyelashes, catching the intensity in his stare as he watched himself move in and out of my mouth.

Soon, his hands moved through my hair and across my jaw, gently pulling my mouth away from him. "I want you, now. Not like this. I need to be inside you, Bella, please." I knew what he needed. It was what I needed. I lay back on the bed as I watched him crawl over me. His mouth met mine as our tongues intertwined around each other. I felt the weight of his body as he settled on top of me. We lay for a while, kissing, kneading, touching, nothing more.

His hands found their way between us as he messaged my little bundle of nerves again. He slid his fingers though my folds and slipped his finger inside. I moaned and arched my back. His thumb was still tracing circles around my clit as he pushed a second finger into me. I began panting as I felt my orgasm coming quickly. His lips suckled at my neck and he whispered gently, "Let go, baby. Let go." And I cried out as I let myself tumble over and into the abyss.

He quickly shifted his position, aligning himself with me, and I wrapped my legs around his hips in response. I felt him slowly slide in, opening me, filling me. It was heaven. He groaned and I sighed with the pleasure. We both moved together in a perfect symphony. We started slow, savoring the sensations of being joined, only to increase our speed as our need and hunger for each other consumed us. I was so close to the edge, all I needed was a little push, and, as if on cue, his fingers rubbed across my little jewel once again. I shook and clinched with the force of my orgasm, and I could feel him pulse inside me as he reached his climax too.

He collapsed on top of me. We lay still for a minute, both recovering from our lovemaking. Then I felt him shift, as he lifted off of me just slightly and kissed my neck. "That was incredible." He pushed up onto his elbows and gently swiped my hair off my face. He stared at me sweetly. "You are so beautiful." He lowered his face back to mine and kissed me softly. His arms wrapped around me as he rolled himself over onto his back, pulling me along with him. I settled my head on his chest, our legs intertwined, and I drifted off into a deep sleep.

I slowly opened my eyes to the bright light of morning sun coming in through the window. It took a moment of hesitation before the previous night came back to me, and a smile graced my lips. I pulled my arms over my head and stretched my naked body as I rolled over to face the other side, expecting to find Edward. Instead, I found an empty bed and a note. _Please, he didn't_. I immediately sat up and snatched the paper from the other pillow.

_Beautiful Bella,_

_As you probably remember from our conversations last night, I had to fly out this morning. I tried to wake you, but you were out cold. I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave you with just a note. Last night was amazing, for me. You are amazing. I really don't want this to be just one night. I want to see you again, somehow. _

_I hope you will forgive me. I really wanted to be here when you woke up to show you again and again how incredible you make feel. I am leaving my number and I hope you will call me._

_Please, please call me._

_- E 312-555-7271_

I stared at the note in my hand, not really sure how I felt about it. I was quickly becoming overwhelmed with emotions from the highs of last night and low of waking without him this morning. It didn't help that I had a headache from all the alcohol I drank last night.

I slowly clambered out of bed and gathered my clothes off the floor. I padded my way into the bathroom and found that Edward had left me with a toothbrush and toothpaste. I smiled. I couldn't regret last night. He was right; it was amazing. I wasn't sure what I would do from here. I wasn't sure if I would ever find the courage to call him. After I brushed my teeth and dressed, I found my phone and called Angela.

"Bella! Oh, how was it? I saw you kissing him. I couldn't believe it. How did you two end up together? You must tell me everything!"

"Angela, calm down. I will. I promise. But right now, I need you to come get me, please."

"Of course," she replied.

I proceeded to tell her which hotel I was in and promised to meet her in the lobby in half an hour. As I waited, I sat down on the edge of the bed and read the note again, and again, and again.

Angela's car pulled up outside the sliding glass doors, and I hurried out to her car.

"Hey, so, tell me everything," Angela demanded.

"Ben Cheney, huh," I replied, trying to divert her attention off of me. She blushed—Angela actually blushed.

"Um, yeah," she said quietly as she put the car into drive and pull away from the hotel.

"Well, spill. I mean, we all knew how he felt about you, but how did it finally happen?" She turned her head slightly and glanced at me. Then her face split into a huge smile.

"Oh, how did I not see that? He is just so, so, gah!"

"Gah?" I raised an eyebrow at her, and she laughed.

"I'm still not sure how it happened. When the light bulb actually went off and I realized what he felt for me and what I was beginning to feel for him. But once his lips met mine, I was a goner."

"So, did you guys, um, you know?"

"No!" Her resounding answer was firm. My bottom lip immediately found its way between my teeth as I tried to stave off the impending tears. Great, it appears I was the only hussy last night.

"Oh, Bella. I'm sorry. I didn't mean . . . tell me, what happened? You seemed pretty happy last night when I saw you. What happened last night? He didn't hurt you?" Her voice began to turn murderous with the last question.

"Oh no, not at all. He was perfect and sweet. It's just . . ." I looked at my hands, which were holding tightly to the folded-up paper in my lap. "I've never done that before. I've never even come close to having a one-night stand. Hell, I can count the number of times I've had sex on my fingers. I'm embarrassed."

"Did he say something this morning to embarrass you?"

"Uh, no. He wasn't even there when I woke up."

"What?" Angela exclaimed.

"No, it's not what you think. Here, read this." I shoved the note into her hands. She rolled up to a stoplight and unfolded the note, reading it.

"Bella, this is sweet. This is not a one nightstand. At least, it doesn't have to be. You're going to call him soon, right?"

"Um, no." I looked over at her shocked expression. "Maybe." It didn't change. "Ugh, Angela. I can't. This isn't me. I told you how I react in these situations. I don't know how to act."

"312," Angela said. "That's Chicago, isn't it?" Chicago? I probably wouldn't ever see him again. It was for the best. I would have this wonderful memory, and that would be that.

"So, when are you making the call?" she asked. I looked down at my hands.

"I'll call soon. In a day or two." _Except, that I won't_.

**AN: I apologize for the late posting of this chapter. Real life caught up with me a bit. I also had a beast of the time with this chapter and probably went through four re-writes. **

**Things will remain busy until Memorial Day, and then I am freed up for the summer. I hope to get one more chapter out by Memorial Day. After that, chapters should come much more frequently.**

**Finally, I have a lot of hits, but very little reviews. I would love to know what everyone thinks of my story, so I am going to offer a little incentive. If you leave a review, I will send you a teaser to the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Okay, I apologize for taking so long to update this story. Real life got very busy there for a while. I should be able to update every week or two over the summer. **

**I have to give a special thanks to my betas, Mel and TwiMarti, for their very valuable input into this chapter. Also to Angelgoddess1981 for her wonderful rec of my fic in her story Horse Play.**

**I would also like to thank my pre-reader, EveryDayBella, for her endless assistance with this story. **

**As always, I do not own Twilight. I wish I did. All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer**

**Chapter 4**

I could feel the warm breeze ruffle my hair as I stumbled along the dry creek bed. The stones were sharp and painful on my bare feet as I tried to navigate around the larger rocks and small cacti that littered the creek's floor. A veil of moonlight cascaded across the desert,, creating sinister shadows around the boulders and tumbleweeds lining the creek's edge. I felt an urgent need to leave, that I needed to be somewhere else, anywhere else. Yet, I couldn't figure out how I got there in the first place.

Off in the distance, I could hear the yelps of the coyotes, harbingers of the evil that I knew was coming. I quickened my pace, scrambling over the rocks, feeling the edges slice into my feet and knees. I was aware of the increasing pounding of my heart as my anxiety levels peaked. I began to panic. I had to get out of there. The wind shifted abruptly, bringing an ice-cold gust across my exposed skin, swirling my hair across my face. My entire body convulsed in response. Suddenly, the coyotes stopped howling, their silence halting me in my tracks. I frantically began looking around to find what had spooked them, knowing what was there, what I would find. I turned around and froze in place.

He was there, just a short distance in front of me, dressed all in black, a long cloak hanging to his knees. His eyes were closed and his lips were pressed in a tight line, just slightly curved at the ends. His face was turned up to the night sky, and the moonlight danced across his pale features. He didn't move; he stood still as a statue in the night. I knew I should run, but I was stuck, unable to move, my eyes fixed on his ethereal features. Slowly, he brought his face down in my direction, as a menacing smile spread across his face. He gently lifted his eyelids, revealing the bright blood-red irises of his eyes.

I shot up in bed, soaked in a cold sweat, my heart pounding through my chest, and gasped for breath. I suddenly felt my stomach lurch and scrambled to the bathroom, heaving into the toilet.

Once I finished bringing up what little I had in my stomach, I collapsed back onto the cold, hard tile floor, trying to bring myself back to reality. I hadn't had that dream in a very long time. I knew there was a chance the dreams would return once I began to seriously pursue working on the Volturi case. Maybe Agent Banner was correct. Maybe I wasn't going to be able to handle working on that case.

I quickly put that thought aside. I had to find a way to push through it. I couldn't give up on it now. I only had one week left in my FBI training. At the end of the week, we would be sworn in, given our badges, and sent off to our new assignments. Over the next few days, we would all learn in which unit we had been placed and where we would be going. I was completely on edge, wondering if I would get the only assignment I truly cared about.

Ever since I rejected Eric Yorkie five weeks ago, he had been pushing to take the VI assignment away from me. I knew he had his dad pulling strings, and he tried to undermine my training at every turn. Fortunately, he hadn't been successful at the latter. I was still top of our class. Nonetheless, it had been a very trying five weeks.

Five weeks.

Of course, that brought up an entirely different problem. It had been five weeks since I met Edward. I had tried to push all thoughts of him to the back recesses of my mind, but they kept finding a way out. He consumed my thoughts almost as much as the VI case. I never did call him. I just couldn't find the courage to do it. Angela pestered me non-stop but finally gave up sometime in the third week. I wanted to call him. I wanted him to tell me how amazing that night was, to call me his beautiful Bella, to tell me he wanted to see me again. But, what if he didn't? What if that night didn't mean as much to him? It was better this way. It was unlikely that I would ever see him again. He was in Chicago, and if I had my way, I'd be headed to San Diego in two weeks.

I shook my head to chase off the memories of that night as they began to flood my brain. I couldn't think about Edward right now. I had to get up and get ready. Today was our last day of training at Hogan's Alley. I was really looking forward to this last exercise. Hogan's Alley was always my favorite part of training.

I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was damp and stuck to my face and forehead, and my eyes were bloodshot. "You're a fine piece of work, Swan," I muttered to my mirror image. I grabbed the toothbrush and toothpaste off the counter. The tube was almost empty. Five weeks ago, at the hotel, it was almost full.

"Okay, Tyler, you ready for this?" I had just finished my last check on my weapon and was tightening my bulletproof vest. I was ready to go. Today I was paired up with Tyler, performing a drug raid.

"Yep." He was also wrapping up his final checks. Ever since his fiasco with the hostages, he had been doing a lot better. Ben and I had taken him under our wings to make sure he became more comfortable with this aspect of the job.

"All right, let's go." I holstered my weapon and headed over to the other trainees who were working this exercise with us. On the way, we passed by Yorkie and another group of trainees. They had just completed their exercise and were dressing down.

Yorkie glared at me and smiled as he turned to address the others in his group.

"So, I have it on good authority that I should get the VI assignment today." He spoke loud enough for both Tyler and me to hear. The others in his group turned and gave me a sympathetic look. We all knew what Yorkie was up to; I just hoped he was wrong.

Tyler and I kept walking along, doing our best to ignore Yorkie's needling. Once we got to the command center, the instructor began going over the exercise.

"Swan, Crowley, you two are going to take the back entrance with Thompson. We have two suspects known to be on the premises. It is possible there could be two more. Suspects are wanted for drug trafficking and dealing in stolen goods. Suspects will be armed and dangerous." I nodded in response, and our instructor continued explaining how we were going to enter and secure the building. "You know the drill. Enter on my mark. Crowley, you're taking the lead on the back entrance. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Tyler responded. Thompson and I nodded in affirmation.

"Okay, team, take your positions."

With those final instructions, Tyler led us around the back of the building. We moved quickly, but quietly, using the building and an outlying shed as cover. Tyler peered around the back of the shed to visually inspect the back door. Once he determined it was secure, he led us out from behind the shed, across the yard, to the door. We positioned ourselves on either side of the door and waited for the signal to enter.

"Alpha, rear team is in position and waiting for your command," Crowley whispered in his mic.

"Copy that, stand by."

I could feel my muscles coiling in preparation to enter the building. Adrenaline was pumping through my body in anticipation of the confrontation we would surely be facing inside. Although this was just an exercise, the environment set up at Hogan's Alley made it feel very real.

"Crowley, ready on my mark." The voice crackled over our headsets. Crowley pointed to Thompson and then to the door, indicating that Thompson would take the door down.

"Go! Go!" came over the set. Thompson mock-fired a shot into the door and kicked it open. Tyler proceeded in first.

"FBI, get down! Get down! Hands over your head!" he shouted. I entered right after him, quickly assessing the room and looking for suspects. Tyler had his gun pointed at a large male suspect lying face down on the ground with his hands now on the back of his head. I proceeded past Tyler toward the next room with Thompson covering my back.

"Careful, Swan," Tyler said to me, then reported into his headset, "One suspect apprehended and secure in the kitchen. Agents checking surrounding rooms."

"Roger that, two suspects secured in front living room." I knew that meant there could be one more suspect present. Thompson and I headed toward the back of the house. As I came around a corner, I found a long hallway to my right that led to what appeared to be two more bedrooms and a bathroom. The doors were all open. Just as I was about to pull back to fill in Thompson, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I quickly pulled my arms up into position, aiming my gun in the direction of the movement.

"FBI, come out with your hands where we can see them," I shouted. In response to my commands, Thompson took a defensive position next to me with his weapon ready too.

"Fourth suspect in back rear bedroom," I heard Thompson report over his headset.

"Roger that. Baker and Martin, make your way around the outside of the building and cover any rear exit points," the command leader instructed the other team members.

I looked around the corner into the hall again, and a paintball came whizzing past my head, splattering on the wall next to me. Then the door to the bedroom slammed shut.

"Shit!"

"That was close, Swan," Thompson hissed.

"I know," I replied. "Suspect has closed door to bedroom. Prepare for potential escape out rear window," I reported into the mic. I turned to Thompson and motioned for us to proceed down the hall.

"Suspect is crawling out window!" The information was relayed through my headset from one of the other trainees, and at that moment, I kicked open the door to the bedroom. The rather large suspect was halfway through the window with his back half-facing us.

"Freeze! Drop your weapon and get your hands in the air," I commanded. I walked toward the suspect, my gun aimed right at him. Thompson was right behind me, mimicking my stance. I could hear additional agents now approaching from the outside. The suspect dropped his weapon on the ground outside the window, and I reached over, grabbing him by his collar and hauling him back inside.

He fell to his knees and started blabbering about his innocence. This guy was a good actor. It felt so real. I handcuffed him and began reading him his Miranda rights. Thompson left to check the other rooms and secure the rest of the house.

After a minute, our instructor walked in. "Good job, Swan. You all did really well."

"Thank you, Sir," I replied.

"As soon as you finish up here, Agent Harper wants you in his office."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir." I felt my stomach flip. Agent Harper was giving the permanent assignment information to the trainees. This was it. I would know shortly whether or not I would make it on the team.

Thirty minutes later, I was standing in front of Agent Harper's office. My hands were shaking; I was so nervous. I knocked on his door, waiting for a reply.

"Come in." I heard Agent Harper's voice through the door. I turned the knob, swallowed hard, and entered.

"Hello, Ms. Swan," he greeted me.

"Good afternoon, Agent Harper," I replied.

"Have a seat; it'll be just a minute. We're waiting on one other person." I raised one of my eyebrows, curious as to who would be joining us.

"You were hard to place, Ms. Swan," Agent Harper continued, as he shifted papers around on his desk. "There were quite a few people who wanted to work with you, and a number of assignments that you would have fit into quite nicely. You received very high marks from all the instructors."

"Thank you, Sir." I was honored. I had worked so hard; it felt wonderful to feel that my hard work was recognized. Just then, there was another hard rap on the door.

"Come in," Agent Harper responded again. As the door opened, my excitement grew exponentially, as I recognized the agent walking through the door.

"Good afternoon, Agent Banner. Thanks for joining us." Agent Harper stood and reached out his hand to shake Agent Banner's. _Could this mean I made the team? Surely, it must._

"Hello, Bella. Good to see you again." Agent Banner turned to look at me and gave me a big smile. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face in return.

"It's always a pleasure to see you, too," I responded.

"All right, let's get started." Agent Harper motioned for Agent Banner to take a seat near his desk, but Agent Banner shook his head, choosing to lean against the filing cabinets behind him instead. "Bella, Agent Banner requested that he be here when you were given your assignment. So, I will turn it over to him." He smiled at me and then nodded to Agent Banner.

"Thanks, Chuck." Banner turned to face me. "Bella, I have to say that I am quite impressed with what your instructors have had to say about your performance; although, I'm not surprised. As I have said, you're a lot like your father." He regarded me for moment before he continued.

"As you know, we only had one spot open for the Volturi team. And, there was some competition for that spot." He looked upon me seriously, and I nodded again, knowing exactly who he was talking about—Eric Yorkie. _Please don't tell me Banner is here to let me down easy because Eric got the spot_. I was suddenly very nervous again.

Banner continued, "I had a lot of pressure put on me to make certain selections. This was a very difficult decision for me, but it ultimately came down to one phone call."

I was now a bit confused, and I am sure it showed on my face. I quickly surmised it was probably Yorkie's dad telling him to put Eric on the team. Then it hit me. _Oh, God, It's not me. He's picking Yorkie_. My spirits were plummeting, and I couldn't look at Banner anymore, so I cast my gaze down to my hands in my lap.

"Charlie called me a week ago." _What?_ My head snapped back up as I tried to make sense of what he had just said. Charlie never told me outright that he didn't want me on this case, but I knew he didn't approve. I just never thought he would interfere.

"Dad called you?" I asked, the confusion clear in my voice.

"Yes. I was just about as surprised as you are now. I was even more surprised by what he had to say." I stared at Banner, willing him to give me the bad news, but secretly hoping that I was wrong about what I thought he would say next.

"Bella, Charlie called to persuade me to bring you on the team." Agent Banner looked at me very pointedly. It took a second for me to fully comprehend the meaning of his words. They were just so contrary to what I was expecting. I looked up hopefully at him.

"Bella, Charlie told me I would be a fool not to put you on this team. He said there would be no finer agent in this class—which I agree with him whole-heartedly on—but he also said that I wouldn't find another agent as dedicated to the cause as you are" He paused as he regarded my response. "He told me that you'd be able to handle anything this case threw at you, both physically and emotionally. He wanted you to have this position."

"I can't believe my dad called you," I murmured more to myself than to Agent Banner. I never thought he would want me on this case, much less fight for me to get it. I found my heart swelling with love for my father.

Agent Banner chuckled. "I know. It took me aback for sure." I realized he heard my comment. I looked back up at him and smiled.

"So, what does this mean exactly?" I didn't want to presume. I wanted to be sure, but I could feel the smile on my face growing wider and wider.

"We would like you to come and join the VI team, Bella."

I jumped out of my seat. "Absolutely. Yes, I'm honored. And Dad's right, you will not have another member more dedicated to this than I am." The words flew quickly from my mouth, showing my obvious excitement. I reached out, shaking Banner's hand, and turned to Agent Harper, shaking his hand too. _Take that, Eric Yorkie_.

"Bella, sit, there's a bit more we need to discuss," Agent Harper said.

"Of course, Agent Harper, sorry," I said a bit sheepishly and returned to my seat.

Agent Banner addressed me again. "Bella, another agent on the team had to take an unexpected leave of absence, and I could use you right away. Could you start Monday?" We were usually given a week off between the end of training and our new assignment. I had planned on spending some time with Charlie, but that would now have to wait.

"Of course, Agent Banner. I can start whenever you need me."

"Excellent. I appreciate that, and I am really looking forward to working with you. Agent Harper is going to get all of the paperwork together for you. We can set you up in temporary housing until you find a place to live." I saw Agent Harper pulling together a rather large stack of paperwork from his desk as Agent Banner discussed the finer details of the move.

"Now, I unfortunately have to run and catch a flight back to San Diego. We'll see you next week." He reached his hand out to shake mine again. "Welcome to the team, Bella."

"Thank you, sir." I almost squealed. Banner exited the office, and I eagerly signed away on all the paperwork, barely able to contain my excitement.

Before I knew it, the rest of the week had flown by, and I now found myself sitting amongst my fellow trainees as we graduated from the training program. I couldn't believe the twenty weeks were over, and I was about to officially become an FBI agent. It seemed like just yesterday I was driving through the gates at Quantico, wondering if I had what it took to do this. Now, I knew I had the skills and determination to make a great agent. I was so excited to begin my new career in San Diego.

I shifted my gaze across the sea of future agents, finding Mike, Tyler, Ben and Angela as they sat listening to the Director of FBI talk about the bright future ahead of us and of the great honor in serving our country. They had already bestowed the awards for best achievement in academics, firearms—which went to Ben—and physical fitness. I was stunned when my name was called, and I was presented with the Director's Leadership Award. It was a great honor to be selected by my peers and instructors. As I received it, I caught Yorkie's glare as his mouth turned down into a disgusted sneer. I'm sure I didn't receive his vote for this award.

Finally, the director asked us all to stand to take the oath of office. We all stood in unison, raising our right hands. I felt my heart swell as I repeated the words.

"I, Isabella Swan, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

I could see the smiles spreading across each and every face of the students around me. We were now officially agents of the FBI. We all sat back down, waiting for our name to be called so we could come up to the podium and receive our badge.

"Agent Isabella Swan." I stood from my chair and walked over to the director. He shook my hand and handed my badge to me. "Congratulations, Agent Swan." He smiled at me, and we posed for a quick picture.

I could see Charlie in the back, clapping and beaming at me. I grinned at him, and he nodded. Even from this distance, I could see tears welling up in his eyes. As I returned to my seat, I stared at the badge in my hand. I was instantly taken back to my childhood, before my mother died. I sat in my father's lap, holding his badge, tracing my little index finger over the bumpy surface. I remember being in awe of my father and wanting to be just like him when I grew up. I now traced my larger index finger over my own badge and smiled.

After the ceremony was completed, all of the new agents and their families gathered in an adjacent room to celebrate the commencement. I quickly found Charlie, and he gathered me into a huge hug.

"Oh, Bella, I'm so proud of you," he said as he squeezed me tightly. I felt like a little five-year-old girl again. I held on to him a bit longer than I intended before letting go.

"Thanks, Dad," I replied. "Come on, I want to introduce you to some of my friends." I grabbed his arm and led him toward Mike and Tyler. They were standing with their own families, chatting about their upcoming moves and assignments.

"Hey, Bella, this is my mother and brother." Tyler waved me over, and I shook hands with his family.

"It's nice to meet you," I replied and continued on, meeting Mike's family and introducing them all to Charlie.

"So, Jessica, it looks like you lucked out and get to have Mike reasonably close."

"Thank God. I was so worried they would send him somewhere like Seattle." Jessica rolled her eyes, acting like that would be the worst place on Earth to live.

"Hey, now, you know I grew up out there."

"Oh crap. I'm sorry. I forgot. You know how I am, Bella. I'm a sunshine girl all the way. Just the rain here in D.C. drives me nuts." I chuckled at her. I completely understood, having spent half my childhood in Phoenix, like her, and other half in Forks.

We all pretty much got the assignments we were expecting. Mike was assigned to the Baltimore office, mainly working on white-collar crimes. Angela was assigned to the Washington D.C. field office where she would be working on counter-terrorism. Ben was placed in the Atlanta field office. He had hopes of training for SWAT and then trying out in a few years for the elite Hostage Rescue Team. And Tyler was heading to the West Coast too, not far from me, in the Los Angeles field office. It was so hard to believe we would all be going our separate ways in just a few days. The rigorous training had formed a deep camaraderie between us. They were now like my extended family.

"Mike, where are Ben and Angela?" I asked. Since that night after the physical assessments, Ben and Angela had been nearly inseparable in their free time. It was difficult, because they didn't want anyone knowing that they were seeing each other.

Mike looked up over the crowd and pointed to the back of the room. I turned and could see Ben through the crowd. After saying goodbye to Mike and Tyler's family, I headed back through the crowd to find Ben and Angela with my dad once again in tow. About halfway across the room, I heard someone shout Charlie's name. I turned to find myself face-to-face with a young agent I didn't recognize. He was tall, tan-skinned, with short, cropped black hair.

"Jacob Black," my dad said, as he greeted the agent warmly.

"How are you, Charlie? Dad said you were here for your daughter's graduation, and I decided to pop in to see if I could find you." I looked on in complete confusion, not having any idea who this person was.

"Bella," my dad said, "this is Jacob Black, Billy Black's son." I looked on, still not understanding. I was guessing that Billy Black must be an agent my dad once worked with, but it appeared my assumptions were wrong. "You remember Billy, don't you?" I shook my head no.

"He's my good friend from the reservation. I go fishing with him a lot. Well, more now since you left home." Ah, now I remembered. I had only met Billy a handful of times. Before I left for college, Dad and I pretty much stayed home and hung out together. My leaving for college was probably good for the both of us. "Anyway, this is his son. I don't think you have ever met Jacob before. He's a few years older than you."

"No, I haven't. It's nice to meet you, Jacob." I reached out to shake his hand. He smiled warmly at me as he took my hand.

"My pleasure. Call me Jake, please."

"So you're from Forks? Has Forks become the new FBI agent hotbed?" I thought it was rather odd that Forks seemed to host so many agents. There weren't that many agents to begin with, and Forks was a very small town.

"Uh, I am actually from the reservation, but yeah, Forks essentially. And, I suppose it's not all that unusual; there are only four of us now. If not for Sam, I doubt there would be any agents from there."

"Sam?" I asked in confusion.

"Sam Uley," my dad answered. Ah, Agent Uley, head of the Behavioral Sciences Unit, a serial killer specialist. I knew he was the agent that helped my dad find his current position as Chief of Police in Forks, but that was pretty much all I knew about him. I didn't know his first name. I wasn't even sure what my dad's connection was to Agent Uley in the first place. I don't think they ever worked together while Charlie was active in the FBI.

"I work with Sam here at Quantico," Jake continued. "Sam recruited me into the FBI and has really taken me under his wing. So, what division will you be working under, Bella? Where are you headed?"

"Um, I'm heading out to San Diego tomorrow to work with Agent Banner on the VI case." Jake looked startled at this news and his face grew a bit dark, but he recovered in seconds and planted another stunning smile on his face.

"You really are following your father's footsteps then."

"Yes, she is," Charlie replied. He put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. "I was a bit hesitant about her working that case, but I know she will be damn good at it." I looked up at him and could see him gazing at me with pride in his eyes. Charlie then turned back to Jake. "So, Jake, we were going to head out to dinner in a little bit. Would you care to join us?"

"Ah, thanks, Charlie, but I'm swamped. I appreciate the invitation. I may have to take you up on it the next time I'm back home. I'm glad I was able to catch you here, though. In fact, I have to get going. I have a meeting in a few."

Jake reached out his hand to shake mine once again. "It was a real pleasure meeting you, Bella." He quickly withdrew his hand and reached into his coat, pulling out his wallet. He extracted a business card and handed it to me. "Here, if you have any questions along the way, or if for any reason you have a case that I could assist you on, feel free to give me a ring."

I took the card, looking at the FBI logo printed on the front with his name, and imagined how my cards would look. I glanced up and smiled at him. "Thank you, Jake. I will."

"Well, for that matter, you can also drop an email to just say hi. Anyway, good luck to you in San Diego, Bella. And, uh, welcome to the FBI." He turned to Charlie to shake his hand as well. "Bye, Charlie. Glad I was able to catch you. Say hi to Dad for me."

"Will do, Jake. Take care."

Jake turned quickly and strode out of the room, and as I watched him leave, I caught sight of Angela in the far corner. I grabbed my dad's arm once again to lead him over to her. "Come on, Dad. I have more friends for you to meet."

I sat on my bed the next morning, staring at my luggage. As excited as I was to be heading to San Diego today, I was also very sad to say goodbye to this place. I had made some incredible friends over the last twenty weeks, and it was hard to believe we were all going our separate ways. I got up and grabbed the last few items off the bathroom counter and packed them into my luggage. I picked up the empty tube of toothpaste and reached over to toss it in the garbage but hesitated as I looked at it. I thought of Edward and that night. I wondered if we would ever cross paths again. I wondered if I hadn't made it on the VI case, if I might have been assigned to Chicago or somewhere close to him. I wondered if he thought of me at all over these last six weeks. I know I thought of him constantly.

I turned the empty tube around in my hand and quickly tucked it into my luggage with the rest of my items. I blew the air out of my lungs in a deep sigh and headed back into the main room when I heard a knock at the door. I was sure it was Charlie. He was coming to pick me up, and then we were going to head to the airport together to catch our flights.

I opened the door to find Angela grinning up at me. I instantly enveloped her in a hug, taking her a bit by surprise. I didn't think I was going to see her again before I had to leave.

"Oh, Ang, I'm really gonna miss you."

"Me too, Bella. But, can you let me in, please." She was chuckling at my exuberance, as I released my hold on her.

"Sorry. Come on in." I took a step back to allow her into the room. She was carrying a small package and handed it to me as she walked through the door.

"Peggy asked me to bring it to you. It was delivered yesterday." Peggy was the secretary who handled a lot of the behind-the-scenes workings of the FBI Training Academy. I took the package and examined it. It was addressed to me, but there wasn't any other information.

"What is it? Who's it from?"

"I don't know. Peggy just asked if I would bring it up with me. Open it. I'm sure it's a graduation gift."

"Yes, but from whom? Who would send me a gift?" I couldn't think of anyone who would send me a gift, other than Charlie, and he would have just given it to me. In fact, he did give me a really wonderful gift—a Glock G22 .40 caliber pistol.

I tore open the brown packaging paper and carefully lifted the lid off of the box. Inside was a very old copy of _The Ugly Duckling_. I carefully lifted it out the box. _How very odd._

"What in the world?" I mumbled as I turned it over, inspecting it.

"What is it?" Angela asked. I lifted it up to show her. "_The Ugly Duckling_? What are you—five? Who sent that to you?"

"I don't know." I handed the book to Angela as I looked through the paper to perhaps find a card or note.

"Wow, I will say this, Bella, I think it's a first edition. Those are worth some money, even for books like _The Ugly Duckling_."

"But who would send that to me? It's just very strange." I took the book back and opened it up, flipping through the pages. There, about four pages in, was a note, which slipped out from the pages of the book and fluttered to ground. I reached down and picked it up. It was written in an elegant script on very expensive looking parchment.

_Dearest Bella,_

_Congratulations on your great achievement.  
You have truly blossomed into a beautiful swan.  
I look forward to working with you in the future._

In place of a signature, there was an elaborate picture drawn in the same ink as the words above it. It was a picture of an upside-down crow. The crow was very simple with its wings spread out, like primitive folk art, but surrounded by a very ornately drawn square border. Angela was peering over my shoulder to look at the note.

"Who is it from, Bella?" she asked as she gently took the paper from me. I shook my head in dismay.

"I have no idea. They didn't sign it."

Angela studied the note and picture. "This is very weird. Could it be someone you are going to be working with in San Diego? It does say they are looking forward to working with you."

"Um, I don't know. The only person I know in San Diego is Agent Banner."

"Well, maybe he sent it. He has known you since you were a child." Angela handed the note back to me, and I looked at the strange drawing, trying to figure out what it could mean. I highly doubted that Agent Banner would have sent this. While I had known him since I was young, it was not a close connection, and this seemed rather out of character for him.

"What do you think this drawing means?" I asked.

"Hmm, I don't really know. Well, it doesn't matter. I'm sure you'll figure it out. The person who sent it to you will say something, I'm sure," Angela continued. "Now, put that thing away, and let's talk a bit before you have to leave."

I took one last look at the note, trying to decipher its origins, but to no avail. I sighed, and carefully placed the note back into the book and put the book back into the box. I then tucked the box deep into my luggage and zipped it up, quickly putting the book and its note out of my mind. I would try to decipher its origins when I got settled in San Diego. Besides, Angela was right—the person who sent it would surely identify themselves at some point.

I walked over to Angela and plopped down next to her on the couch. "Okay, Angela, tell me all about your week away with Ben." And with a wide grin and a glint in her eye, she told me all about her upcoming trip with Ben to the Caribbean until it was time to leave for the airport.

Hours later, I sat comfortably on the 747 taking me to San Diego. Charlie had taken me to the airport, and we'd had lunch together while waiting for our flights. I was sad that I was not spending time with Charlie before starting my new job. I wanted, no needed, the reassurance he could provide. I was now off on my own to make my own way. I knew that I had taken similar steps when I left for college and then again when I went to the FBI for training, but somehow this felt different.

I was really on my own now, completely independent. It was up to me alone to make it or break it in this world, and that thought both terrified and thrilled me at the same time. A great part of me wanted to curl up next my dad and have him hold me and tell me I would be all right. A part of me just wanted to be his little girl again. But then, there was that other part of me—so independent and so determined to make my mark—that felt the thrill of a new adventure. I often felt as though the two sides of me were at war with each other.

A ping from the speakers brought me out of my thoughts as I heard the captain announce our descent into San Diego. I glanced out the window at the pinkening sky and observed little points of light flickering into view across the desert mountains where families were probably sitting down to dinner or watching their TVs. I wondered about all the people down there—What their lives were like as they went about their daily routines? Tomorrow it would be me, going about my business and starting my new life. I couldn't wait.

The next morning, I stood by my rental car, parked outside the FBI building on Aero Drive, and drew in a deep breath. I gently swiped my hands down the front of my grey trousers and then up over my shirt and jacket, making sure it was all in place before I made my way to the building. It was a large, impressive structure, four stories tall. I walked up to the door, observing the FBI seal emblazoned on the front glass. I lifted my chin, straightened my shoulders, and yanked the door open. I was ready. I walked up to the front desk in the lobby, where a lady in her mid-thirties was busy typing on the computer.

"May I help you?" she asked, barely looking up from the computer.

"Um, yes. I'm Isabella Swan. I'm supposed to start here today." This time she looked more directly at me and smiled.

"Oh, yes, Agent Swan. We've been expecting you. Welcome. Have a seat, and I will let Agent Banner know you're here." She indicated an area behind me where there was a small row of chairs placed against the wall. I quietly took a seat, while she made a quick call to Agent Banner.

"Can I get you anything, Ms. Swan? Coffee, maybe?"

"No, thank you," I replied. I had already had two cups at the Starbucks near the apartment, and all that caffeine, on top of my nerves, was making me jittery. I didn't need to compound the problem.

I didn't have to wait long before Agent Banner came through the door. "Hello, Bella." He smiled and strode purposefully toward me, his hand outstretched. I immediately stood and took his hand, shaking it.

"Hi, Agent Banner. It's good to see you again."

"Well, Bella, I hope you are ready to get going." He turned and began walking back toward the door he had just emerged from, and I promptly followed. As he walked, he continued talking to me about the office. "We always have meetings every two weeks on Monday mornings to evaluate the current status of the VI case. As you know, the VI case has its own staff, but we still lend a great deal of support to the other cases here in the San Diego office. So, you will be working on other cases as well." He looked at me, and I nodded in understanding. I knew this already.

He was walking swiftly through the office, and I had to take large strides to keep up with him. I was dearly hoping that he would slow down before I tripped over my own two feet.

"We have one of our Monday meetings today, which is another reason that I wanted you here this week. I thought it would be a good way for you to meet the team and get you caught up on the status of the case."

"Oh, yes. I agree. Thank you."

"Okay." He stopped for a minute, looking a bit distracted, giving me minute to catch my breath. "This is the first floor. This office has four floors. Our team is situated on the third floor." I realized at this point that we were standing in front of an elevator. The doors slid open, and we stepped inside.

"We're pretty much going straight to the meeting, and then after, I'll get you set up with Barbara. She'll help you get settled into your office and get all of your paperwork completed. She'll need to get you a card key to access the offices too."

"Uh, okay." I wasn't sure what else to say. I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed with the pace of things since Agent Banner had marched into the lobby. The elevator bell dinged, and the doors slid open once again to reveal another office floor that looked much like the floor below it. There were offices that lined the outer walls, and the interior was filled with cubicles.

Banner turned to his left upon exiting the elevator and proceeded quickly down the hallway with me in tow. He stopped at an office door, clearly marked with his name, and ushered me inside. I took a seat at one of the chairs in front of his desk as Agent Banner took his chair opposite me. He sat back in his chair, appearing very relaxed and regarded me.

"The meeting should begin in a few minutes, but I wanted to take a minute to welcome you." He gaze scanned his office before returning to me. "This is my office. Please feel free to come see me anytime. My door is always open."

"Thank you, Sir," I replied.

"I try to keep communications amongst my staff and team members open and honest. I feel it makes for a stronger team. So, if you ever have any questions or concerns, always feel free to come knock on my door."

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

"Now." He slid a large pile of manila folders across the desk in my direction. "These are copies of some of the most current projects for the VI case. These are your copies. I would like you to look through them today and familiarize yourself with them."

I nodded as I reached out to grab the stack of folders off his desk. There were probably a dozen or so in the stack.

"There are currently five permanent members on the VI team, including yourself. We each have roles and projects that we head up, but for now, you will work as support to each of these members until we establish a more defined role for you."

"I understand. I'm really looking forward to getting started. I want to thank you again for adding me to your team."

"I think you're going to be a great fit, Bella. I'm very glad to have you." Agent Banner glanced at his watch and began to rise from his chair. "I'm sorry. I'm sure this has been very rushed for you this morning. Things will slow down after the meeting. But, we need to head on over to the conference room. I do want to catch you later so that we can talk more about getting you settled in. How about lunch?"

"That would be great." I stood from the chair, clutching the stack of folders, and followed him out of the office and down the hall to a small conference room. As I entered, three faces looked up from the table. There were two men who appeared to be in their late thirties or early forties on one side of the table and another younger Asian man at the other end. Banner took a seat at the head of the table and indicated for me to have a seat as well. I sat at the far end, next to the young Asian man.

Banner then introduced me to the group currently at the table. "This is our newest member to the team, Agent Bella Swan. Bella, this is Agent Andres Rodriguez, Agent Rob McKinley, and this is Timothy Parks," he said, pointing to the Asian man next to me.

"Hello, glad to meet all of you. I'm looking forward to working with you," I said. They all smiled and shook my hand, welcoming me to the team.

"Timothy is support staff for our team. He is not an agent, but he is an FBI employee. He is our IT guru, I guess you could say."

"I do a lot of the computer hacking and database searches to retrieve information on the Volturi," Timothy added. I instantly thought of Mike Newton and imagined Timothy as his West Coast counterpart. Agent Banner began talking casually to one of the other agents, Andres, while I sat a bit uncomfortably in my seat. I wasn't sure why we hadn't started the meeting, but my uncertainty was quickly addressed by Timothy.

"We are waiting on two more members," he leaned over and told me.

"Oh, okay."

"So, are you getting all settled in? What do you think of San Diego so far?" he asked.

"Well, I only just arrived last night, so I haven't really gotten a chance to see it. I used to come here on vacation when I was younger, but it has been years since I've been here. I don't really remember much about it."

"Well, you're gonna love it. Best kept secret in the U.S." Just as he was finishing his sentence, a loud burst of laughter was heard right outside the door. I turned my head to see what was causing the commotion, when I caught sight of a messy head of bronze hair. My heart instantly slammed in my chest as my mouth dropped open. _It couldn't be_.

"Ah, good, we're all here," Agent Banner exclaimed. "Bella, this is Edward Masen and Lauren Mallory, and this is our newest agent, Bella Swan." I watched as Edward's head pivoted in my direction and the smile dropped from his face replaced by shock at seeing me. In the next instant, I heard the grating voice of the woman next to him.

"I know you." I recognized her instantly. It was woman who laughed at me in the hall six weeks ago. _Oh yes, you do._

**I really hope you are continuing to enjoy my story. Your reviews really help to inspire me, and as a thank you, I will send out a teaser for the next chapter for anyone who leaves a review. **


	6. Chapter 5

**I have to give a special thanks to my betas, Mel and TwiMarti, for their very valuable input into this chapter. Also, to my pre-reader, EveryDayBella, for her endless assistance with this story.**

**My deepest apologies for the horrible delay in getting this chapter out. I had a terrible case of writers block. I wrote and erased this chapter more times than I can count. Writing is not something that comes easily for me, and inspiration doesn't always strike when I need it to. On a good note, the next chapter is coming along nicely already, so I don't expect another delay like this one. **

**As a recap, we left off with Bella on her first day on the job in San Diego. She is in the conference room getting ready for her first meeting, when Edward walks into the room. The following paragraphs are from the last chapter.**

"**Ah, good, we're all here," Agent Banner exclaimed. "Bella, this is Edward Masen and Lauren Mallory, and this is our newest agent, Bella Swan." I watched as Edward's head pivoted in my direction and the smile dropped from his face and was replaced by shock at seeing me. In the next instant, I heard the grating voice of the woman next to him.**

"**I know you." I recognized her instantly. It was woman who laughed at me in the hall six weeks ago. **_**Oh yes, you do.**_

"You've met Agent Swan?" Agent Banner asked Lauren.

"Oh, well, yes . . . uh, I mean, no. No, it's just that I saw her at Quantico—and oh, this is so funny . . ."

I gripped my pencil a bit harder and stared in Lauren's direction, mentally willing her to shut her mouth. Edward must have had similar thoughts as he moved slightly in her direction before she blurted out, "Ow, Edward, that was my foot!"

Edward grabbed her arm and steered her over to the empty seats at the conference table while mumbling, "Sorry, Lauren. You know, we're late, and we need to get this meeting started. Let's find our seats."

Lauren complied, sufficiently distracted from telling the room about my debacle in the halls at Quantico. I just stared at the two of them, not really knowing what to do now. Should I tell everyone that I _do_ know Edward? Edward didn't seem to be indicating that he knew me. Maybe it was just as I feared, and that night didn't mean much to him. _Oh God, and now I have to work with him on a daily basis_. I could feel my anxiety level rising, and I quickly looked down at my stack of files, needing a distraction.

Edward settled into the chair directly across from mine, and I continued to cast my eyes down to the table, doodling on my notepad. I could feel him staring at me, but I just couldn't look up. The emotions were too strong, and I knew they would show plain as day across my face. I needed a moment to get over the shock of seeing him here.

"Well, then—since we're all here, let's get started." Banner's voice quickly brought my attention back to the meeting, and I shifted my gaze to the head of the table. Banner explained to me the typical way he ran the meetings, moving around the table and giving each member a chance to update the team on any changes to their current projects. After running through the procedure with me, Banner gave Andres the go ahead to begin.

Andres shifted a bit in his chair and flipped some pages in his notebook. "Well, there haven't been any significant changes in the Mexican Cartel cases in the last two weeks. We are still looking into the shipment of grenade launchers that were obtained by the Gulf Cartel. It is highly suspected that these weapons were acquired by the Volturi and sold to the cartel. It has been confirmed through the Mexican government that the weapons were U.S. issue. We are not sure yet if these weapons were recently made and smuggled out of the U.S., or if they were part of the weapons stockpiled from former wars in Central America and Asia."

Andres continued to review the current status of the Volturi's connection to various Mexican and South American drug cartels, as well as their political pull with South American governments over drug production and distribution. As he proceeded with his case, I would occasionally peek through my eyelashes to catch a glimpse of Edward. Each time I looked, he was staring at me as if he was also trying to figure me out, like I was a puzzle he didn't have the pieces to.

From a quick glance at Lauren, I could tell she was trying to figure out what was going on between us as well. Her pouty lips were pressed in a hard line across her face, and she looked most displeased with the way Edward was watching me. I quickly wondered if there was something going on between the two of them.

_God, that would be so awkward_. The very thought turned my stomach in knots, and I quickly looked over to Agent Banner and Andres in an effort to put my mind back where it should be—on the Volturi case.

As I redirected my attention, I quickly realized that while I was obsessing over the situation with Edward, I had missed a significant portion of Andres' review. Agent Banner had now turned his attention over to Rob McKinley, and I quickly re-focused on taking notes.

"Rob, what have you got?" Agent Banner asked.

"We've had some developments. It's also dealing with counterproliferation. It appears that there have been increasing incidents of our own weapons being used against our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last two months."

I perked up a bit when Agent McKinley began discussing the weapons in Afghanistan. Counterproliferation referred to the efforts the U.S. government employed to stop the spread of both conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction to our enemies. I also knew that Volturi were one of the top players in illegal weapons trade across the globe. It sounded as though the Volturi may have been getting their hands on our weapons and were selling them to our enemies. If true, that would be very serious.

"These are not older stockpiled weapons," McKinley continued. "So far, we have been unable to trace the exact delivery routes of these weapons to the insurgents. However, we have had some recent intelligence that is indicating the sale of the weapons is through the Volturi, and that the Volturi are being aided by the Chinese as a middle man. So the questions now are: how are the Volturi obtaining our weapons, and how are they getting them to China?"

"Well, I may be of some assistance with that," Lauren interrupted. She abruptly stood from her chair and grabbed a stack of blue folders that were sitting in front of her. She began to pass out the folders to each member of the team, except for me. "I'm sorry, Agent Swan, but I didn't make enough copies." Lauren smirked a bit as she addressed me. I quickly waved her off and indicated I would have a copy made, but Timothy quickly slid his copy over to me. Lauren huffed a bit before turning to Agent Banner.

"Agent Banner, if you wouldn't mind, I have a few photographs that I would like to put on the overhead." Banner nodded, giving her the floor.

As she began to hook up her computer to the overhead projector, Banner explained Lauren's role in the group. Lauren was the image intelligence—IMINT— specialist for the West Coast. I was guessing she wasn't an agent then, but I wasn't sure if she was a civilian contractor or FBI employee. I did find, though, that I was quite relieved—as the West Coast specialist, she wouldn't be a permanent member of the team.

As Lauren was setting everything up, I took a moment to study her. She was quite pretty—tall and thin with long, dark-blond hair and blue eyes. However, her nose was a bit too thin and sharp on her angular face, and her mouth pulled down into a permanent pout. It gave her a harsh look, which I decided must also fit her personality. I decided that I didn't like her, not one bit, and the thought of her and Edward made me sick.

Once Lauren had finished hooking everything up, she posted a picture of a cargo vessel on the screen. "We have recently come across some information that may be linked to the weapons in Iraq. This information was analyzed and confirmed as recent as of yesterday, and I drove down immediately to report the findings. I haven't even had the chance to share this with Agent Banner. Copies of the photographs I am about to show you are included in the folders, along with the technical report. As always, this is highly classified information." Lauren turned her attention to the photo on the screen.

"This ship left the Port of Long Beach two weeks ago. It arrived in Shanghai two days ago and appeared to skip customs clearance. Based on a tip, we had kept the ship under satellite surveillance upon its arrival in Shanghai. Once we realized that the ship was skipping customs, we contacted our operatives at the port and were able to obtain these photographs." Lauren hit a button on her computer and a photograph appeared showing the off-loading of the cargo from the ship.

"Approximately four containers were off-loaded from the ship upon its arrival at the port without clearance. After these containers were transferred, the remaining containers began normal customs clearance. Although the quality of the photos was poor, our office was able to work with the images and were startled by the results."

She clicked her computer again, and my breath caught in my throat. The image was grainy and not completely clear. It was a close-up of the original image, showing an area of the dock next to the ship where the cargo was being transferred. On the dock were several men overseeing the unloading, and one of them I had seen before—when I was nine years old. The face wasn't very clear, but it was clear enough. My chest began to tighten, and my heart felt like it would pound right through it.

"We believe that the man in the center is Aro Volturi, and whatever was being transported on this ship was important enough that he was directly overseeing the delivery and transport of the those items." The room was silent as we all stared at the picture. I couldn't take my eyes off the photograph. I closed my eyes briefly to block the image, but I could still see him, only this time, in my mind, staring at me from my own backyard. I slowly opened my eyes again to the image of the man who killed my mother and felt my breath hitch in my throat again.

It was then that I felt a foot nudge me from under the table, and I quickly pulled my eyes away from the photo and over to Edward. He looked worried and mouthed, "Are you okay?"

I stared back at him and swallowed deeply while trying to get my breathing under control. I slowly nodded to him that I was going to be all right. My hands were clenched tightly to the armrests of my chair, but I could feel myself regaining control as I released my grip and wiped my sweaty palms across my pants. I quickly scanned the room, worried that other members of the team had seen my reaction. Fortunately, everyone was still glued to the images on the screen —everyone except for Edward, who was still watching me with a look of both concern and curiosity. I gave him a weak smile and a quick nod in thanks, and he returned it with a small smile of his own.

Agent Banner let out a deep breath, pulling my attention away from Edward and toward the head of the table. "I think we have a serious problem on our hands." He leaned forward in his seat, placing his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together in front of him, looking deep in thought.

This wasn't good. It was rapidly appearing that the Volturi had somehow infiltrated the weapons manufacturing in the U.S. and were currently stealing and shipping our weapons to our enemies. No, not good at all.

"We need to get on top of this right away," Banner continued. "It appears this is originating here in the U.S. I need to get together with our counterproliferation experts and contact our Washington office about this immediately.

"Edward, I would like you to accompany me to Los Angeles later today. I think that we need to get over to the docks at Long Beach. Can you clear your plate for that? We may have to stay up there for a day or two to work with some of the agents out of the L.A. office. We need to find out if this is a military leak or if it is coming directly from the manufacturer."

Edward nodded his head. "Yes, I'll make the necessary arrangements. How long will we need to stay up there?"

"Just one night for now," Banner replied. "I want to come back here and re-group on Wednesday. Rob, I would like you and Bella to go over all shipments out of the West Coast to China in the last six months and see if you can spot a pattern or determine which additional ships may have transported weapons for the Volturi."

I looked up at Banner, then over to Rob, and nodded in understanding_. All shipments?_ That would take forever. There had to be hundreds of ships each month that ran one of those routes. Nothing like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. I could see that there wouldn't be much of a breaking-in period for me.

"Bella, look into the owner and operator of this ship and see if you can find any connection with the Volturi. Lauren will have the data on this ship."

"Yes, sir," I replied. I looked over to Lauren as she presented me with a slight smile that didn't reach the rest of her face. _Great._ I really didn't want to have anything to do with Lauren, and it appeared that she felt the same way about me. But, I also knew I had to remain professional and suck it up.

Agent Banner continued to bark out instructions to each member of the team. Finally, bringing the meeting to a close, he sent each of us off to start our new tasks with the promise to update at the end of each day. I slowly began to gather up my files, trying to use it to buy myself some time to find my footing once again. I felt completely blindsided by my new job, seeing Edward again, and the image of Aro Volturi. My emotions were all over the place, and I really needed to find a moment to pull myself together again. However, as the room cleared, I could see Edward standing next to the wall, waiting for me to finish. I just wasn't ready to deal with him yet.

"Bella, can you come with me?" Agent Banner stood from his chair and motioned for me to follow him. _Ah, Agent Banner saves the day_. As I stood from my chair, I locked eyes with Edward. He looked concerned, confused, and also a bit annoyed. I couldn't decipher what that meant for me. I gave him a small smile and made my way around the table toward Agent Banner. As I began to move out the door, I overheard Lauren talking to Edward. I slowed a bit to catch the conversation and wished I hadn't.

"Edward, if you're going to be in L.A. tonight, we should have dinner. There's a new sushi place in Santa Monica that we haven't tried yet."

As I heard this, I stopped briefly to look over my shoulder at Edward and Lauren. He was frowning at Lauren but quickly looked away from her to me. As his eyes met mine, his expression changed, and he looked a bit, well, panicked. _Crap, there was something going on between them_. I swallowed hard and made my way out the door toward Agent Banner before I could hear any more.

I followed Agent Banner through the halls. As we neared the end of the hall, he stopped and turned to me. "I know this has been a crazy morning. I apologize. Now you can see why I needed you on the job so quickly." He chuckled a bit at the end, and I smiled in response. "I hope you're not totally overwhelmed."

"No, sir. I'm okay. It's exciting." And it was. I really was chomping at the bit to get started on this case. That said, I definitely had a lot thrown at me this morning and was still reeling from it.

"I'm sure you're going to be a great addition to this team," Banner continued. "I'm really glad to have you aboard." His words of encouragement meant a lot to me, and I smiled in return.

"Thank you."

As we came around the corner of a cubicle, I saw a small red-haired woman who appeared to be in her fifties, working busily on her computer. She turned in her chair toward us as she heard us enter.

"Hey, Barbara." Agent Banner greeted her. "This is our new agent, Bella Swan. Can you get her all set up?"

"Hi, Bella, it's a pleasure. I'm Barbara Hopkins, and I'm one of the HR Managers for this office. Let's get you going. Have a seat." Barbara pulled out another chair from her cubicle, and I sat down.

Banner reached over and placed a hand on my shoulder to get my attention. "All right, I'm going to leave you with Barbara now. Because of these recent events, I'm going to have to take a rain check on lunch today. If you have any questions about settling in here in San Diego, Barbara can help you out. Once she has you all set up, go catch up with Rob and Tim. They'll get you going on the shipping data."

I nodded, then turned in my chair toward the desk, where Barbara was preparing my paperwork.

"Okay, Bella, let's get this paperwork done so you can start working on more important things." And we began the process of getting me all settled in the office.

Barbara spent the rest of the morning with me, finishing up my paperwork, assigning my access cards and codes, and working with IT to set up my computer. By lunchtime, I finally made it over to my newly-assigned cubicle. As I sat down at my chair, I looked at the stark, empty space of my office. The cubicle had a wrap-around desk along two of the walls with two small filing cabinets under each end and the computer sitting in the middle corner. I ran my hands over the edge of the Formica desk. It was just a simple, plain cubicle, but it was _my_ cubicle and _my_ desk. I suddenly felt a little more important and quite a bit excited.

I immediately started to put my files away in one of my filing cabinets. The twelve little files looked a little lonely all by themselves in the big drawer, but I knew in no time, those filing cabinets would be overflowing. Barbara had left a little pile of office supplies on the corner of my desk, and I began to go through them, arranging my drawers and desk. Just as I was putting the finishing touches on my in/out box, I heard the very familiar and velvety voice behind me.

"Isabella Swan. . . Bella. I should have put the connection together and realized it was you." He paused briefly before continuing, "I knew that an Isabella Swan was joining the team, but I somehow didn't connect that Bella was short for Isabella—that it was you." His voice sounded a bit sad and apprehensive.

I slowly turned my chair around and looked up at Edward. I felt my heart jump a little at the sight of him. God, he was gorgeous. He was leaning against the opening of my cubicle, watching me, waiting, I assumed, to see how I would react. He looked a little unsure, as though I was a wild animal that might suddenly bolt.

"Hi, Edward." I smiled at him, and he smirked back at me, confidence returned.

"You gave me quite a shock this morning," he said, his smirk spreading into a beautiful grin.

"You? What about me? It's been a hell of morning for me too."

He laughed lightly at that, and I could see his body relax a bit. "Yes, I suppose it has." He paused again, and then his smile slipped a bit. "You never called."

He looked a little hurt and disappointed, and I honestly didn't know how to react to that. It wasn't what I was expecting. I wasn't sure what I was really expecting. I just thought I wasn't ever going to see him again and that I wouldn't ever have to deal with it. But, here he was, right in front of me, looking so damn perfect.

I dropped my gaze to my lap and shoved my lower lip into my mouth, mumbling, "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

I looked up into his face again, trying to figure out what he wanted from me.

"Why didn't you call?"

Had he really wanted to hear from me then? The thought both terrified and thrilled me at the same time. How do I explain to him my reasons for not calling? However reluctantly, I knew I had to at least try to explain to him how deficient I was when it came to relationships.

"Um, I'm not very good at this," I said. He just looked confused, so I tried to elaborate. "Relationships, you see. I'm not very good at them. I just—" I was fumbling at what to say, how to explain to him my inadequacies in the dating department. "I, well . . ." I quickly looked back down to my lap and blurted out the rest. "I'm not very confident when it comes to relationships. I'm fine as friends, but . . . oh, God, this is not making any sense." I groaned and ducked my face into my hands. I was sure I was beet red from my head to my toes. I gently peeked through my fingers to find Edward, still standing there, but now with a rather large smirk across his face.

"Well, that's a relief."I looked back up at him, completely confused. _What did he mean by that_?

"It's just that . . ." He paused, smiling down at me with a bit of humor in his face. "I thought that either you really didn't like me, that I did something horribly wrong, that you completely regretted that night, or that I sucked in bed." He paused again briefly and smirked. "No, not the last part. I know I'm pretty good there," he said with a chuckle. And, as annoyed as I was, I couldn't argue with that. He was amazing in that department. With a little courage, I decided to agree with him.

"No, you're right, you don't suck at all . . . at that." I ducked my head a bit on the last part of the statement but still kept my eyes on his. His grin widened into that amazing smile that easily turned me into the village idiot. I just stared at him, completely stunned by his good looks. Fortunately, Agent Banner once again saved the day as he rounded the corner of my cubicle. We both looked over, a little surprised, hoping we didn't just get caught with our hands in the cookie jar.

"Edward, I'll be ready to head out in twenty minutes. Can you meet me out front then?"

"Uh, yes. I'm all ready. I'll see you then," Edward replied.

"Great." Banner turned and headed straight into his office across the hall.

I looked over at Edward, slightly panicked. "You don't think he overheard?" I asked.

"No. One thing you will soon learn about Agent Banner is that he has a one-track mind. He won't be thinking about anything except the new developments in this case."

"Oh, thank God." I slumped into my seat.

"Bella." I looked back over to Edward. He looked more serious, and the carefree moment we had a few minutes ago was gone. He nervously ran his hand through his already messed up hair, making it stand up like a porcupine. Somehow, he looked even hotter that way.

"Uh, I think we should talk," he continued.

I nodded in agreement. I knew this was inevitable. I just wasn't sure which direction it would go, or where I wanted it to go, for that matter. Oh, who was I kidding? I wanted him. I wanted him badly. I just wasn't sure if he wanted me in the same way. _Or if he was even available anymore, _I thought as I remembered Lauren's comment in the conference room.

"Well, I'm not sure how long we are going to be up in L.A.—most likely longer than one night. Banner often has a skewed since of time. He always thinks things will take less time than they really do. But, I'm sure I will be back by the end of the week. Can we catch up then, maybe over the weekend?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied.

"Good. Well, I need to get my stuff together and meet Banner." He began to turn to leave, but he hesitated and turned back to me. "Hey, and, welcome to the team, Bella. I really am glad you're here." He smiled that panty-dropping smile again and turned back down the hall.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I watched him walk away. How was I going to deal with this—with him? As I thought about him and that night, my first instincts were to do what I always did—bury my head in the sand and hope it went away. But, I couldn't do that now, could I? And honestly, I didn't want to anymore. I felt something very strong for Edward Masen, and for the first time, I wanted to find out if there could be something more.

I shook my head as if to physically clear my thoughts. I had other tasks I needed to focus on rather than pining away for Edward. I would have to sort out my feelings for him later. I grabbed my notepad off my desk and headed over to Agent McKinley's office.

After spending a few minutes with Agent McKinley catching up on the current status of this case, he sent me to the other end of the office to work with Tim. I found Tim hunched over his computer going over a large database with the shipping information from the last six months. He had set up a laptop on the other side of his desk, and I quickly joined him in processing the data. I was right—here were hundreds of ships to sort through. I felt like I was looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Did you get the information on the ship from Lauren?" Tim asked.

"Yes, she sent an email with the information." I didn't tell him how thankful I was that she sent it via email, and I didn't have to deal with her in person. My day had been hard enough so far without having to deal with any more interactions with Lauren.

I began flipping through the pages of my notepad to find where I had written the information down. "Here, Huang Shipping out of Hong Kong." I had found that Huang was one of the largest shipping businesses in Asia. Not only did a great number of cargo ships belong directly to Huang, but a large number were also owned by smaller subsidiaries of Huang, and tracking down each and every one of these was going to be quite a task. I also knew that I was going to have to do some research on Huang to see if they had any connections to the Volturi.

Tim and I worked quietly for several hours, occasionally conversing in small talk about where we were from and what things we liked to do. I was finding that I liked Tim a great deal, and I thought we would work well together.

Finally, Tim asked the question that I had been dreading. "So, you've met Lauren before?"

"Huh? Uh, no. I just saw her once at Quantico when I was training. Why?"

"Oh, well, she was mentioning that she had met you before. But, well, she was also looking at you a bit funny during the meeting."

"Funny?"

"Well, maybe not funny ha ha. More calculating." So, he noticed. I wondered if anyone else at the meeting had.

"Oh," I replied. I didn't know what else to say.

He continued, "Well, have you met Edward before?"

_Shit_. He really did notice.

"Um, yes. Just once. Again, while I was training at Quantico. Why?" I tried to play it off as no big deal, but there may have been a slight tremor to my voice. I didn't even know what was going on between Edward and me. How was I supposed to explain it to someone else?

"I thought maybe so," Tim continued. "He was also looking at you funny. But this was more like he was trying to place you, or that he knew you from somewhere. No, more than that . . . I'm not sure how to explain it." I just continued to stare at the computer screen, pretending that that was really all it was—just an innocent connection.

"Well, just be careful of Lauren," Tim stated. I immediately look over to Tim, a bit concerned with what he meant by that. "She is professional and very good at what she does, but she can also a grade 'A' bitch." Now, I really was curious. If something is going on between the two of them, Tim may know.

I swiveled my chair in his direction and asked, "Is there a reason I should be careful? I mean, I don't even know Lauren. Why would she dislike me?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to imply that. It's just, well . . .the way Edward was looking at you. I could tell Lauren didn't like it." I knew how Edward was looking at me. I also knew how Lauren was looking at both of us. I decided to cut to the chase.

"Are they together, then?" Here it goes. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to this, but I braced myself for the truth.

"I'm not sure. Lauren has been after Edward ever since he transferred here. He seemed to be deflecting her for the most part, but there are always rumors of something going on between them." That left me with a lot more questions than answers. Was he dating her? Were they just good at hiding it from their co-workers? Or was it just wishful thinking on Lauren's part? I didn't have any clue which scenario may be the truth. If he was dating her, how long had they been together? My God, was he dating her when we got together? I didn't think so. Still, I could feel my blood begin to boil as my mind played through all the possibilities.

"And, what do you think?" I asked.

Timothy smirked and then replied, "See, now you're making me look like the office gossip. Honestly, I would say no, but who knows." I felt a brief moment of relief from his words until he spoke again.

"It's just that from the way Edward was looking at you today, I would have said there was something going on between the two of you. So that tells you what kind of judge of character I am." He thought he hadn't read the situation well at all, when, in fact, he had pretty much nailed it. I didn't want to continue on with this subject, because soon enough, I was sure to give something away. So I re-directed our conversation back to the task at hand as we sorted through the shipping data. However, my mind kept drifting back my interactions with Edward today and on that night six weeks ago. The only thing I could say for certain was that I was totally and utterly confused.

By the time I finally made it back to my temporary residence, I was exhausted. I had worked well past seven o'clock trying to make heads or tails of the shipping data. It didn't help that I was emotionally exhausted as well. I plopped myself down on the couch and pulled the burger out of the In-N-Out bag in my lap. I was too tired to even get a plate from the kitchen. I took a big bite and moaned. This had to be the best damn burger I had ever had. My ravenous hunger took over, and I wolfed it down in minutes.

Once I had fed my stomach, I reached for the phone. I grabbed the paper out of my purse that Agent McKinley had given me. Earlier today, he told me his aunt had an apartment over her garage that she wanted to rent. The apartment was in Pacific Beach, a great area for young singles, and had been recently renovated. It sounded perfect, and he seemed to think she would cut me a break on the rent for both knowing him and working in Law Enforcement. I typed the number into my phone and pressed send.

"Hello." The voice on the other end sounded sweet and motherly, and I warmed to it immediately.

"Hello, yes, Mrs. Cope," I replied.

"Yes."

"My name is Bella Swan. Your nephew, Rob McKinley, gave me your number. He said you had an apartment to rent."

"Oh, yes. I do. Do you work with Robby?" I smiled at her nickname for him.

"Yes, I'm a new agent at the office."

"Wonderful. Let me tell you about the apartment." She continued to describe the apartment in great detail and then went into further discussion about poor Robby McKinley when he was a boy. After half an hour on the phone with her, I had an appointment to look at the apartment on Wednesday after work and enough fodder to rib Agent McKinley for years.

Once I hung up with her, I had one more call to make before I crashed. I quickly hit the speed dial button and waited for the familiar voice to answer on the other end.

"Bells, how are you? How was your first day?" At the sound of his voice, I instantly calmed, relaxing and sinking deeper into the couch.

"Hi, Daddy. It's was good, just really, really busy."

"You sound tired. They're already working you to the bone, huh?"

"Well, I guess my timing was perfect. They just had some new developments that required a lot of attention. It was exciting, though. I'm going to like it—working on this case."

"Glad to hear it." I could hear a gentle shift in his tone as he continued, "Bells, please be careful. This is a big case, and the Volturi are—" He paused. "I don't need to tell you that it can be dangerous. Just . . . be careful."

"Always, Dad. It'll be okay. I promise." I didn't have the heart to tell him about the photos I saw today, nor my reaction to them. I knew well enough how dangerous this case was. I knew he was worried but was trying his best to hide it and support my decision to work on it. If he had had his way, I would be as far from this case as possible. But he also knew how important it was to me, and he wasn't going to stand in my way.

We talked for another half hour or so before we said our goodbyes. I promised to call him again in a few days and let him know how the apartment hunting was going. I pulled myself up off the couch and headed into the bathroom. After a hot shower, I crawled into the bed and tried to find sleep. As tired as I was, sleep wasn't coming to me easily. I tossed and turned as my mind played through the day's events. I tried to sort through all of my thoughts and feelings about the Volturi, my job, and mostly about Edward. As I finally drifted off to sleep, my dreams were vivid and haunting. I kept having visions of deep green eyes morphing into blood red ones.

**Thank you to all who have stuck with me so far on this story, even with my delays. **

**Please review and let me know how you like my story. The reviews really inspire me and help me move forward on this story. And, I will be sending out teasers again to all who review. **

**Now, I don't rec stories too often, but I came across another vampire fic that is outstanding and hasn't received nearly enough credit. It takes place during the Roman Empire. The author has amazing writing skills. I wish I wrote as well as she. It's De Immortalitate by Raum. **

**www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net / s / 7116125 / 1 / De_Immortalitate - Just change (dot) to a period and remove extra spaces.**

**Go read this one. It's wonderful.**


	7. Chapter 6

**I have to give a special thanks to my betas, Mel and TwiMarti, for their very valuable input into this chapter. To my pre-reader, EveryDayBella, for her endless assistance with this story. And finally, to my newest technical pre-reader, ****dj071688, for her help on all things FBI. **

**Chapter 6**

It was still fairly early in the morning and the traffic seemed light for a Friday. I was sitting shotgun to Agent McKinley as we drove north on the five freeway through Camp Pendleton. I had my coffee clutched tightly between my hands, keeping them warm. Although San Diego had a fairly warm climate, the mornings and evenings could be quite chilly, and today the marine layer had really socked in, making it feel even cooler. This drive was supposed to be quite pretty, but the view was mostly obscured. I knew we were only a few hundred feet from the ocean, but I couldn't really make it out through the clouds and fog.

Both Agent McKinley and I were tired from the extra hours we had been putting in on this case. Agent McKinley was assigned as my training agent, and we had been working closely together all week, not just on the Volturi case, although that had occupied the vast majority of our waking hours. We were both staying fairly quiet now as we drove up the coast, refraining from conversation. It was giving me some time to reflect on the week so far. It was hard to believe that a week ago I was still at Quantico. It seemed like months ago.

We were currently heading up to the Port of Long Beach to gather information on Huang Shipping and the ship that may have been carrying stolen weapons. As I pored through the information on this ship and Huang Shipping, I found that their ships used Terminal M at the port exclusively. It may make finding the information we need a bit easier since we had only one terminal operator, Pacific International Terminals, to work with. This company ran one terminal here and one other in Portland. I didn't know if there was a connection between Huang Shipping, Pacific International Terminals, and the Volturi, but I intended to find out, and this trip would hopefully produce some leads.

Edward was right when he'd said that he and Agent Banner wouldn't likely be back before the end of the week. Once they made it up to L.A., they were ordered out to Washington D.C. that night. They didn't even have a chance to get over to the port. They had been in meetings all week with unit chiefs and assistant directors of the bureau, along with members of the Pentagon and Homeland Security. From the email updates and brief teleconferences, the general direction of thought was that the weapons were coming directly from the manufacturers. The only problem was that more than one manufacturer was involved. As a result, a team of intelligence analysts was assigned exclusively to concentrate their efforts on gathering as much information as possible.

I hadn't had an opportunity to talk to Edward at all since he left Monday. The only time we had spoken was during the teleconferences with the rest of the team listening in. Needless to say, we hadn't said a word to each other outside of the case.

Each time I heard his voice, though, my stomach did flip-flops and my heart rate accelerated. It was utterly ridiculous that this man had this effect on me, but he did. As I heard his voice talking about the current thoughts and leads on the case, my mind would drift back and I would hear him instead whispering endearments in my ear as he moved inside me. It was completely distracting.

On Wednesday afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to find an email in my inbox from him. It was short—just a note to say hi—but still helped to quell the insecurities that had been building in my mind since I saw him last.

I still juggled between being hopeful that something could develop between the two of us and being so scared of my feelings for him that I wanted to run far away. It was a fine line at times.

"Bella."

Agent McKinley's voice pulled me away from my thoughts of Edward and back into the present.

"Yeah?" I glanced in his direction and took another sip of my coffee.

"So, I hear you met with my aunt last night. You're taking the apartment?"

Even though I had been slammed with work, I had managed to make it over to Mrs. Cope's house in Pacific Beach last night to see the apartment she had to rent.

I smiled at Agent McKinley. "Yes, it's perfect. I loved it. Thanks for recommending it to me."

It _was_ perfect. As soon as I drove into Pacific Beach—or PB as the locals called it—I fell in love. The neighborhood was old and eclectic. There were homes that looked like they were built in the 1930s and others right next door that looked brand new. Some homes had been recently updated, but others looked their age. What struck me, though, was all the people out and about, riding their bikes, walking, and jogging. I could see that it was a vibrant and active community. And to top it off, the entire area was right next to both the beach and the bay.

Mrs. Cope's house was an older craftsman that looked recently refurbished. It had a large stand-alone garage in the back with a second floor apartment. It was quite quaint. The yard appeared rundown and neglected, but she explained that she was in the process of re-landscaping. In fact, a good portion of it was torn up, and instead of grass, there was mostly dirt.

I felt immediately at ease around Mrs. Cope. She was sweet and motherly, and I was instantly drawn to her. The apartment was amazing. It was small—a living room with an adjacent, open kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom—but was also recently renovated and had all new cabinets, floors, and appliances. I would have use of the laundry machine and dryer in the garage, and as soon as the re-landscaping was complete, I could use her pool, too.

I instantly said yes and made arrangements to move in on Saturday. The only problem was I didn't have anything to move. Shopping for furniture and household goods would have to wait for the weekend. If I even had a day off then. I suspected I would still be putting in hours on the case this weekend.

Agent McKinley began tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he continued the conversation. "Aunt Shelly is great. I'm sure you're gonna love it. And PB is so much fun. A lot of local bars and restaurants, not to mention the beach and bay."

"Yes, it will be nice to live so close to a beach where you can actually swim. We lived fairly close to the water up in Washington, but Lord, it was cold." I chuckled as Agent McKinley smiled at me.

After our short exchange, we fell back into our comfortable silence for the remainder of the trip. Every once in a while he would comment on some aspect of PB or San Diego, but nether of us was drawn into a lengthy conversation. I think we were both still getting used to each other.

It wasn't long before we pulled up at the Port of Long Beach. We quickly checked in with the port's Executive Director and met up with our colleagues from the L.A. division and Homeland Security. Tim had followed us up in his own vehicle and was there with his band of computer wizards. All in all, there were about ten of us ready to descend upon Pacific International Terminals. We followed the port's Executive Director to the offices for Terminal M.

The terminal itself was large, with three berths that could accommodate ships up to new panamax in size—just about as big as they got. Each berth was equipped with large cranes to load and unload the containers from the ships. Multiple train tracks lined the yard, allowing trains to bring the containers and goods right up to the loading area. It was quite impressive.

Agent McKinley was the agent in charge and was leading this meeting. We had warrants with us to obtain shipping records pertaining to Huang Shipping, personnel files and copies of the videos captured by the dock cameras showing the loading of the suspected ship. As we entered the offices for Pacific International Terminals, the manager, Mr. Hunt, was already in the front office waiting for us.

Agent McKinley introduced himself and explained the purpose for being at his facility. I stood in the back, next to Eric, and observed as he talked with him.

Mr. Hunt was fairly tall and quite good-looking. His blond hair was slicked back across his head, nearly blending seamlessly with his fair complexion. He seemed rather young for his position, although it was hard to tell these days. There was something rather familiar about Mr. Hunt, but at the same time very foreign. I couldn't put my finger on it.

While Agent McKinley explained our procedures, Mr. Hunt began scanning our group. When his eyes landed on my mine, his mouth lifted into a slight smile as though he recognized me, although I had never met him before. It made every hair on my neck stand on end.

His eyes were unnaturally dark—nearly black, contrasting drastically against his pale skin, and they bored into mine. I felt myself squirming a bit under his gaze, and I didn't like it. I couldn't figure out why I was reacting that way—why I felt so uneasy. I just knew that there was something very wrong Mr. James Hunt.

Mr. Hunt was, for the most part, quite agreeable. He appeared shocked that something like this could happen at his terminal and agreed to cooperate fully. He was concerned that we would be seizing documents and was particularly concerned about the computers and server, as it could interrupt business. Tim assured him that they would be making an image copy of the hard drives to take back and analyze for evidence rather than seizing the computers themselves.

Once the logistics were laid out, we began searching for evidence. The vast majority of the shipping information was in electronic format. Eric and his team would be working to create copies of all the electronic files for further analysis. I planned on working with the other agents searching through the paper files, but Agent McKinley stopped me.

"Bella, I would like you to take a look at the terminal grounds. See if you see anything out of the ordinary, anything suspicious."

"Yes, sir. That's fine," I replied.

"I'll have you go with Agent Stephens from the L. A. division." I nodded, indicating that I understood.

Agent McKinley then turned his attention to Mr. Hunt.

"Mr. Hunt," Agent McKinley said, drawing his attention. "Could you please escort Agent Swan and Agent Stephens around the terminal. They need to take a look at your property and observe your processes."

Mr. Hunt turned his black gaze back on me again, and I felt that same chill down my spine.

"I would be happy to help, Agent McKinley, but I will not be able escort them personally. I have a skin condition that prevents me from staying in the sun too long. I will have one of my staff assist you."

"That would be fine," replied Agent McKinley. Mr. Hunt went over to the office phone and called someone to come and escort us around the property, while Agent McKinley rounded up Agent Stevens. I stood and watched Mr. Hunt. His movements were so odd—very fluid, unnaturally so. His skin was so pale and smooth, absolutely free of blemishes. I wondered if this was a result of his skin condition. I watched as he hung up the phone and approached him.

"Mr. Hunt." He turned and looked at me, expressionless.

"If you don't mind my asking, what condition do you have?" His lips turned up a bit, but it didn't reach the rest of his face.

"I have EPP. Agent Swan, is it?" he asked.

"Yes. And what exactly is EPP?"

"Erythropoietic protoporphyria."

"Is that a common disease?" I asked.

"No, not especially. Is there anything else I can help you with, Agent Swan?" His expression had turned somewhat steely, and I could tell that this conversation was over.

"No. Thank you, Mr. Hunt." He turned and left the room, heading down the hall. I just knew he had something to do with this case. I felt it in my gut. I knew without a shadow of doubt that I would be finding out all I could about Mr. Hunt.

A short time later, I found myself walking the grounds of Terminal M with Agent Stevens and one of the stevedores. I learned quickly that stevedores were essentially dockworkers. As we walked along, he explained all the processes and procedures that were conducted when working with the transportation of the containerized goods.

Most of it I had learned over the last few days as I researched the shipping industry. There was currently one ship docked at the terminal, and it was in the process of being loaded. We were able to watch the loading as the stevedore explained how the container loading software told them which containers to place on the ships.

"There's no way to sneak on extra containers," the stevedore said. "There is a very precise list that designates the sequence for loading containers. All the container information is entered into the loading database, which then tells us the exact order to load the containers. Everything is checked and double-checked. There is just no way to get an extra container on."

_Be that as it may_, I thought, _it still happened_.

We continued to look around the facility and observed all the loading procedures. Neither Agent Stevens nor myself observed anything out of the ordinary. The more I observed the procedures, the more I had to agree—it did seem nearly impossible to get extra containers on the ship. I knew we were going to have our work cut out for us.

By noon, we had completed our search and interviews at Terminal M and were loading the documents and files into our vehicles. As soon as we got back to the office in San Diego, we would begin poring over this, trying to find a way those containers got on the ship.

As I got into the car next to Agent McKinley, I looked over to the office. There in the second-story window stood Mr. Hunt. He was glaring at our car, and then he began to laugh before he shut the blinds—very peculiar.

"Rob?" I asked. He looked my way, curious as to what I was going to ask. "What's your take on Mr. Hunt?"

"He's in on this. No doubt in my mind."

"I agree. Have you ever heard of erythropoietic protoporphyria?" I asked.

"What? No. What is it?"

"Well, I'm not sure. Only that Mr. Hunt says he has it. He says it's the reason he can't go into the sun."

"I did find that strange. But look at the man. His skin was so pale it was almost iridescent."

"I know," I replied. _And, I am going to find out why_.

After working late on Friday processing all the new information from the port, I woke up early on Saturday to shop for the things I would need for my new apartment. The office graciously gave me Saturday off to move in. I think most of the rest of the team was going to be working.

I went out to a few furniture stores to start. I found a bed, couch, chair, and a few tables that would work. I was fortunate that they would be able to deliver the furniture later that afternoon. I then hit IKEA and Target to pick out lamps and supplies for my kitchen and bath. After I blew more money than I currently had, I headed over to PB to move into my new apartment.

When I pulled up, Mrs. Cope was outside digging a giant hole next to her house.

"Hey there, Bella." She waved enthusiastically at me as she walked over.

"Hi, Mrs. Cope."

"Shelly, please. You all ready to move in?" she asked.

"I am." I grinned widely. This was the first place that was truly my own, with all my own stuff. No roommates to bother me or crazy, noisy neighbors who shared my walls. I was so excited.

"All right then, let's go inside and I will get the keys and the contract." She pulled off her work gloves and brushed her hands over her pants before heading inside. I followed her into her home. It was beautifully renovated with hardwood floors, granite counters, and all new cabinetry. The theme on the inside followed the craftsman style of the outside. I really loved it.

"Here ya go, Bella, two keys and a garage door opener. You can use the left side of the garage for your car." She slid the items over the counter toward me. "And, here is the contract. Just put your John Hancock here, and we're ready to go."

I signed the contract and handed over the check for the deposit and first month's rent.

"Okay, dear. But one more thing before you start moving in." She turned around and reached for something on the counter.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Yes, here. A little something to keep your energy up." Shelly turned around with a huge plate of homemade cookies in her hand. _Oh, I was going to love this woman_.

"Oh, wow. Thank you, Mrs. Cope," I exclaimed. She gave me an annoyed look, and I corrected myself. "I mean, Shelly. Thank you."

"You are so welcome. I think I'm really going to enjoy having you next door. Now, shoo, go check out your new place. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to come knock."

"Oh, I won't. Thank you again, Mrs.—er, Shelly." She laughed as she walked me out the door, returning to her large hole by the house. I quickly traipsed across the yard to the garage and climbed the steps to my new apartment.

By late afternoon, my apartment looked like a tornado had come through it. The furniture had been delivered and set up, and I had been able to at least unpack and put up the essentials, like the bed linens and shower curtain. I still had bags of stuff I purchased all over the floor and counters, and there were even more bags of trash lined up by the door.

I was just too pooped to do any more. I sat on my couch and stared out the French doors that led to a small balcony facing the backyard. I got up and stepped outside. There was a wonderful breeze blowing in off the ocean. It was beginning to cool down, and the sun would be setting soon. It was a perfect time to go out for a walk. I decided to head down to the boardwalk to grab a bite to eat and watch the sunset. I hadn't had the chance to do that since I moved back to the west coast.

I quickly changed into a clean pair of jeans and slipped on a lightweight blouse. I threw on my chucks, grabbed a jacket, and slid out the door. The house was about five blocks from the beach. It wouldn't take me long to walk there.

Once I got to the end of Diamond St, I started walking down the boardwalk toward the pier. The boardwalk was a wide cement walkway that ran along the beach for over three miles. There were lots of people out biking, skating, and walking their dogs. Once I got to the pier, I noticed the marine layer's thick cloud cover was moving back in over the beach, and it was unlikely that I would get a very pretty sunset tonight, but I didn't care. I just enjoyed being there, taking in all the sights and sounds around me. It was very relaxing.

I stopped just past the pier and gazed out at the water. There were still quite a few people on the beach even though there wasn't much sun left, and several surfers were bobbing up and down in the water. I watched for a while as some of them caught a few small waves. It looked like fun, but not like something I would want to try.

I watched as one or two were making their way out of the water, and I suddenly stiffened when I recognized that tel-tale bronze head—Edward. He was about knee deep in the water wearing board shorts with a long-sleeved surf top and carrying his board under one arm. He kept shaking his head like a dog to get the water out of his hair. I wanted to laugh at him. He began to jog lightly out of the water, and I was once again struck by how beautiful he was. _How could it be that he had ever wanted me?_

All my old instincts kicked in, and I quickly turned around and began heading back the way I came before he saw me. About five large steps back down the boardwalk, and I stopped. _What was I doing? Why was I running away from him?_ I had to work with him, and I needed to find a way to be comfortable around him, at the very least. At best, maybe there was a chance I could have something more with him. And that certainly wasn't going to happen if I kept running away.

My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest, but I turned around and began walking back toward him. When I caught sight of him again, I found that he was now standing on the beach, facing away from me watching the other surfers. His board was lying next to him in the sand, and he kept rubbing his hands through his hair getting the water and sand out. It made it look much messier than I had ever seen it before and infinitely more sexy.

I stopped and watched him for a moment. He had beautiful lines—all the right manly dips and sinews. He reached up and stretched his arms above his head, and I could see his back muscles flex and bend beneath the tight Lycra shirt. I instantly remember the feel of those muscles beneath my fingers, the flex of them as he moved above me. _Oh God, how I wanted him._

I began slowly walking toward him again. Each step seemed an impossible motion, but I kept going, determined to finally put myself out there. When I was just a few feet behind him, I spoke.

"Hey, Edward."

He whipped around when he heard me say his name, startled when he first saw me. Then a huge grin spread across his face that lit up his eyes.

"Bella."

I felt my whole body ignite from his reaction. He seemed really happy to see me. A giant grin infectiously spread across my face.

"I didn't know you could surf," I said, pointing to his surfboard.

"I can't really. I'm learning. You know what they say, when in Rome." He chuckled a bit and ran his hands through his messy hair again. "You, uh, didn't see me out there, did you?" he added, a bit worriedly.

"No. Why?"

"I'm just not very good, and I'd be a bit embarrassed if you saw me face plant into the wave."

I laughed. "I would _love_ to see that," I joked, and he smiled again. I instantly felt my breath hitch in response. _Would I ever stop reacting to that smile?_

"You would," he teased, nudging me on the arm. "So, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, I just moved into an apartment here. Uh, Rob's aunt, Shelly Cope, she had an apartment for rent over her garage. It was perfect for me." He smirked, looking like he was in on a joke that I didn't know about.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. So, you're living here in PB? Me too. You'll like it a lot." He paused and then suddenly added, "Hey, we should car pool to work."

Oh, riding every day to work with Edward might be fun. "Definitely," I replied.

We were both quiet for a bit, that awkward silence taking over. His face turned more serious again, and I wondered what he was thinking. I watched as he reached out and grabbed my hand, shaking it a bit to loosen me up. Then he gently intertwined our fingers. I slowly looked up from our hands and into his face. His eyes were intense as he searched my face for some sign that this was okay. I suddenly flushed, and he smiled sweetly at me.

"I love it when you blush like that," he said, and I blushed even more deeply. Then he laughed, breaking the spell. "So, Bella, what are you doing tonight?"

I looked into his face, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "Uh, nothing really. Why?"

"Well, I thought you might like to grab a bite to eat with me. You know, something low key. Sandwiches or something." He dropped my hand and reached down to pick up his board.

"Uh, okay," I replied. "Do you want me to meet you somewhere later?"

"What? No, now. Come on. I just have to stop by my house and change real quick."

I must have looked a little startled, because he rolled his eyes. He grabbed my hand and began pulling me with him, not giving me much choice in the matter. But, who was I kidding? I would have followed along anyway.

He walked over to a bicycle and began unlocking it. He mounted his surfboard onto some brackets attached to the bike: a really ingenious little device that carried the surfboard along the side of the bicycle. He pulled out some flip flops that were in a bag behind his seat and slipped them on. Then, he grabbed the handlebars and steered the bike onto the boardwalk while walking alongside it. He looked over to me.

"Come on. It's not far."

I took a few quick steps and caught up to him.

"So, when did you get back?" I asked.

"Late last night. God, it's been a long week." He sighed. "I even went in this morning to catch up on things. I'm afraid this case is just getting started. We're going to be really busy. You picked a good time to come on board," he joked.

"Yeah, well, leave it to me to time it so well."

We continued to banter back and forth about the case and the office as we walked along. He filled me in on the long week in Washington. It seemed everyone was pointing fingers at everyone else. The Pentagon insisted the weapons were being obtained directly from the manufacturer, but Edward wasn't totally convinced.

"It may be that they are coming from the manufacturers, but the Pentagon hasn't shown any evidence that they're not coming from them either. I just don't think it's going to be that simple."

"No, I don't think we can really discount anything at this point," I agreed.

We had walked a few blocks away from the beach onto a quiet street and Edward stopped. He straddled his bike and looked over at me. "Okay, hop up. We can ride the rest of the way."

I looked at him like he was crazy. "Hop up where?"

"On the handlebars. I won't let you fall."

"I think that's illegal."

"I do happen to have a few connections in law enforcement. I think we'll be okay," he said, and winked at me.

I looked at the handlebars of the bike and thought that there was no way my butt was going to balance on that. "Uh, you do remember the incident in the halls at Quantico, right? And the time on the track?"

Edward leaned over so that he was eye level with me, his face just inches from mine. "Bella, take a risk with me. Get on the bike." I knew that he didn't just mean the bike. He was figuring me out, understanding that I was akin to a wild animal—ready to bolt at the first sign of danger. And Edward Masen was definitely dangerous to my heart. But he wanted me to try. I knew what he meant when he asked me to take a risk. It was time.

"All right. But don't let me fall." I reached out for the handlebars and hoisted myself up with Edward's help. I felt Edward start to pedal and the bike lurched forward, causing me to emit a little yelp.

"I won't let you fall, Bella," he said. "Trust me. I won't let you down."

And at that moment, I knew it was going to be okay. I could trust him. I suddenly felt free and exhilarated, and I yelled out. I could hear Edward laughing behind me as he sped up.

It was time to take a risk with my heart. I was going to let Edward Masen in.

**AN: Just an FYI, I'm am back in school and knee deep in papers. I am going to fit my writing in as much as I can, but what that means is that updates will not come on a regular schedule. Some may be frequent and some may be further apart. I will do my best to get updates to you as fast as I can. I love writing this story, and plan to write as often as time allows. **

_**Please review**_**. It means the world to me. **


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